How to Live the Primal Life
by FrozenDragonMaster
Summary: Hiccup, Astrid, and their friends take on the land of Oros and the prehistoric dangers it possesses.
1. First Hunt

Hiccup and Dalso laid still on the ground as their companions followed their posture. Astrid was inches away from her husband's feet with Fishlegs and Snotlout on her flanks whilst the Twins got themselves at the rearmost end. Tuffnut felt his face growing queasy when he sniffed a stench in the air.

"Ruff, have you ever tried bathing?" Tuffnut whispered with annoyance.

"I would think of doing it if there's a waterfall around!" was Ruffnut murmuring retort.

"Will you two muttonheads keep it down!" hissed Astrid. "We might alert our dinner!"

Hiccup would like to discipline the Twins by pinching their ears, but his ears caught something shaking the ground. His eyes widened with anxiety when he saw a massive hairy animal marching through a grove of stark trees. Dalso saw it too and he led the others in skulking silently up the rocky hill. Using the shade of the leafless tree canopies, the group was able to shift their movements from crawling to crouching, and the top of the hill gave them a view of a herd of grazing and rumbling mammoths. Dalso pointed his bow to a young mammoth that started to wander from the herd before he signaled everyone save for Hiccup to their assigned positions.

"With me Hiccup," Dalso whispered.

Hiccup nodded and the two jumped from the hill and crouched together through the tall grass and the mammoth herd. The pair halted their movements when an adult mammoth strode past them and became silent as possible to avoid detection. It took a few seconds for the mammoth to veer away and the two hunters resumed their task. Within a couple of minutes, Hiccup and Dalso found the young mammoth satisfying its hunger, away from the protection of the larger adults and close to the entrance of a rocky ravine. Seizing the opportunity, Dalso stood up and raised his hand to give the signal. Flaming arrows flew to the surrounding dry shrubs, setting them ablaze and scaring the young mammoth to the ravine. The herd trumpeted in panic and stampeded in all directions.

"Go! Go!"

Hiccup anticipated Dalso's words and chased after the mammoth with his spear in his hands. He looked above him to see Astrid racing on the right cliffs with Fishlegs, Snotlout, the Twins, and others of their hunting party shouting with exhilaration as adrenaline rushed through their veins.

"Mammoth is tonight's menu!" Snotlout yelled with his spear raised to the air.

"I'll have the trunk!" shouted Tuffnut.

"Leave the ears to me!" Ruffnut replied.

"They shall be yours, my love!" added Fishlegs.

Hiccup remained silent since his mind was fixated on finishing the hunt. The mammoth soon found its path blocked by a wall of thorny shrubs. Feeling cornered, it turned its back and bellowed at its attackers. Dalso's arrow hit the mammoth on the side, though the pain greatly angered it to charge. Hiccup pushed Dalso just in time, or they would both be flattened by the mammoth's feet or skewered by its tusks. Astrid screamed and leaped from the cliff before she embedded her spear on the mammoth's back. The mammoth trumpeted in pain and ran around to buck the human off. Despite Astrid's best attempts to hold on, she ultimately lost balance and fell to the ground.

"Astrid!"

Hiccup rushed to his wife's side as Fishlegs and Snotlout hurled their spears to the mammoth's right shoulder. Fueled with agony and rage, the mammoth used its remaining strength to charge through the bristly shrubs, annihilating it in an instant. Dalso and the others continued their pursuit, leaving Hiccup to tend on the dazed Astrid.

"Astrid, are you…"

Astrid merely coughed away her concerns and retrieved Hiccup's bloodied spear that fell during the scuffle. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and handed the spear back to his hand.

"Let's go feed ourselves."

Hiccup smiled at his wife's optimism and the couple ran through the ravine together. They eventually caught on to the others who were squaring up with the mammoth. With spears and arrows littered its body and trapped between a group of armed human hunters and the edge of a cliff, the mammoth knew that it would be best to stand its ground. It bellowed and stomped the earth fiercely to demonstrate its strength.

"Hiccup! Take the kill!" yelled Dalso.

Hiccup blinked at the request and turned to Astrid. Her nod was more than enough to motivate her husband to tighten his grip on the spear and launched it straight to the mammoth's throat. The mammoth let out a feeble groan as blood leaked from its neck and into the parched ground. Departing strength was all it took for the young mammoth to limp to the direction of the cliff and succumbed to its fate. The hunters' cheers echoed through the horizon. A young mammoth could provide them enough food to sustain for them for weeks, and they earned it.

"Good hunt everyone," Hiccup said as Dalso patted him on the back and Astrid gave him a long and affectionate hug. The others pulled their weapons from the mammoth as Dalso crouched before the mammoth's head to shut its lifeless eyes.

"Walk free."

"This mammoth is still young and had many years ahead of him," Fishlegs commented with a hint of dejection in his voice.

"Yeah, but we must eat to live Fishy," replied Snotlout. "Try to look at his death as an end to his suffering."

Fishlegs pondered about Snotlout's words for a moment and decided to sigh with a nod.

"Alright. Shall we feast? 'Cause I'm starving!"

"Ladies first Tuff! Fishlegs promised me the ears."

From his belt, Hiccup brandished a knife with knapped flint as its blade and a wolf jawbone as its handle. Since he delivered the killing blow, he should take his first share. He was about to plunge the knife on the mammoth's hide when a flock of ravens burst from the nearby trees and cawed with panic. The hunters were startled by the birds' behavior and a growl within the adjacent woods made their hearts race.

"Bear! Bear!"

A huge bear erupted from the shadows roaring and pawing the dirt with its claws. When it stood on its hind legs, it greatly dwarfed the hunters. But the anxious hunters could tell that this was no ordinary bear. Old scars and disheveled fur tarnished considerable portions of its face and body while its hide was covered with damaged spears and arrows.

"Don't run!" yelled Dalso. "Don't run!"

A female hunter waved her spear to scare the bear away, but the beast responded by cleaving her head off with a swipe of its claws. Fishlegs and the Twins tried to attack only to be knocked away by swings from the bear's paws. The bear then roared with pain and swiveled around to throw the stabbing Snotlout from its back.

"You! Will! Not! Steal! Our! Dinner!"

The exasperated bear then reared up and successfully flung Snotlout off towards Hiccup and Astrid, taking all three of them down. A male hunter tried to stab the bear's right shoulder, only to have his spear broken off and his body pinned by the bear's claws. As the bear mauled the hunter's throat, his screams were swiftly silenced by the loss of blood. Dalso balanced himself on the dead mammoth and lunged to successfully spear the bear on its left shoulder. The bear roared in pain as it tried to pry the spear with its jaws and claws. Hiccup and his companions managed to huddle together at the edge of the cliff. They looked back and saw that it would be quite the fall, but what choice did they have? A rough tumble or a giant killer bear? Time was not on their side as the bear managed to dislodge the spear and set its sight on the seven humans.

Hiccup always believed there was strength in numbers, but this bear had proven too much for all of them. He then looked at Astrid in her blue eyes and he could tell that this was not a fight they were able to survive. As the bear reared up and roared, he held his wife's hand before screaming the most logical solution.

"Jump!"

Without hesitation, all seven of them hurdled from the precipice. They yelled and grunted whenever they bumped rocks and branches along the way. The coarseness of the terrain only added another discomfort when they slid over the steep slopes. As soon as they thought it was over, they felt their bodies rolling down another cliff. They could see the approaching earth before everything went black.


	2. The Path to Oros

Hiccup could see the afternoon sky and the withered trees manifesting from the blur when he unsealed his eyes. He could feel a sore pain in his head as consciousness coursed through his body. His first instinct was to check on Astrid who also underwent the same physical stress. Despite their dizziness, cuts, and bruises, the two ambled towards each other before locked in a loving embrace. Hiccup placed kisses around his wife's face before cupping her face with his hands.

"Hiccup, are you…"

"We're alright."

Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the Twins were somewhat stunned and beaten up from the fall, but they nevertheless managed to return on their feet.

"Sweetie, you have cuts on your arms!" exclaimed Fishlegs when he examined Ruffnut's body.

"It's nothing dear," she assured him. "Scars will make us look stronger."

"Agreed, though I only got a bruise on my knee," Tuffnut complained when he showed said bruise. "People will barely notice it. Why can't I get cuts like you, sis?"

"Maybe because you fell the wrong way, Tuff. How about you go back up there and try again?"

The Twins' argument prompted Snotlout to sigh with exasperation as he walked towards Hiccup and Astrid.

"I guess we'll have to go hungry for another night, guys."

"We'll find something to eat Snotlout," Astrid said with guarantee while brushing the dust off her shoulders.

Hiccup surveyed his surroundings to see if everyone was accounted for. When he turned to his back, he noticed a trail of blood cascading from the cliff and towards a space behind a large rock. Curious and anxious, Hiccup walked towards the rock and gasped with horror at what he found.

"Guys!"

Hiccup's distress impelled others to rush to the place. All five of them too were shocked and horrified by what they see. Dalso was lying on the ground, drenched in blood from head to toe, and his lower right lung was jutting out from his chest. Hiccup and Astrid tried their best to stop the bleeding, but the reek and desperation gradually prevented them from doing so.

"Do not stop here… Hiccup."

Dalso frailly handed his bracelet of white seashells to Hiccup, and the latter in turn accepted it with reluctance. Tears started to drip from his green eyes as Dalso used his remaining strength to hold his hands.

"Find… the land… of Oros… Find our… lost Wenja… brothers… and… sisters…"

Dalso drew his last breath as his head slumped to the side and his hands slipped from Hiccup's. Hiccup clenched the bracelet as he closed his fallen comrade's eyes.

"Walk free."

Tears overtook the young chieftain as Astrid enfolded him in a sorrowful hug. Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the Twins could only lower their heads to respect and mourn their Wenja brother.

* * *

As the sun descended in the West, the group made a small grave of stones for Dalso. Hiccup placed the final stone as he wiped the sniffles from his nose. They then took a minute of silence before they exhaled their grief away. A distant roar that was all too familiar interrupted the mourning.

"Looks like he's not finished with us," said Tuffnut.

"But why? Surely the mammoth we killed for him and the Wenja he killed are more than enough for his belly," Snotlout commented as his stomach emitted a trifling rumble. "And my belly is still tormenting me."

"If I have to guess? He wants to taste us," added Ruffnut as she stood close to her husband.

"What do we do, Chief?" asked Fishlegs.

Hiccup considered a proper answer for Fishlegs' question as he observed the surrounding environment. They've lost their spears and they were in a small valley that had alder trees, reeds, and slates scattered all over it. He looked to Astrid before he finalized his decision.

"We're going to need archery."

The group walked around the valley to find resources they would need. They managed to collect flints from slates, reeds, and wood from the alder trees. Hiccup was the first to craft a bow and its arrows as the others copied his actions and achieved the same results. The group then tested the strength of their bowstrings and were certain that they would never break.

"So what should we do now?" asked Tuffnut.

Astrid raised her fist and everyone felt silent. The only noises they would hear are the wind, the distant cawing of ravens, and faint bleats coming from behind a rocky hill in the West. She led the others over the hill and crouched when they saw at least a dozen bharals grazing in the field.

"Food," Snotlout whispered as he licked his hungry lips.

"Be patient Snotlout," advised Astrid. "We must be silent or we will lose our chance."

"Will one bharal be enough for all of us?" Ruffnut asked.

"Someone's getting gluttonous." Tuffnut's jeer was countered with an elbow to his shoulder, which caused him to groan with quiet displeasure.

"We could kill three, with one for the two of us."

"Great strategy, Fishlegs."

Fishlegs smiled with pride when Hiccup approved his plan. With that said, the six hunters nocked their arrows before drawing and aiming them at their intended bharals. In unison, the arrows loosed and hit their marks. Three bharals almost immediately dropped dead when the arrows pierced their skulls, necks, and spines. The rest flee from the valley by running up the cliffs. The group cheered at their success and ran to their kills so that they could use their knives to harvest meat, skin, bones, fat, and hide that they would need later. Hiccup looked up to see that only two-third of the sun was still available.

"We're losing daylight guys. We should find a place for the night."

"Found it!"

Snotlout pointed his finger at a massive cave in the West that should make a perfect hideout for the group. When all six of them filled their bags with everything they needed, they entered the cave and created a campfire for warmth and to cook their meat. All six of them ate their dinner heartily and made sure that their bellies would never starve again.

* * *

The absence of the sun allowed the moon and the stars to illuminate the cool night. Snores serenaded the campfire of the cave. Fishlegs huddled the Twins in each of his arms while Snotlout tried to find warmth by hugging Tuffnut. The roughness of the floor brought discomfort to Astrid as she feebly opened her eyes before stretching her arms and yawned. With her vision clearing up, she saw that everyone was still asleep, except for her husband who was sitting at the cave's entrance with solitude. Naturally, she walked up to him and sat by his side. Her presence brought a smile to his face.

"You're okay, Hiccup?"

Her question merely made him sigh.

"I'm managing, milady."

Hiccup knew that judging by the look Astrid gave him, she would want a more elaborate answer. He then fixed his eyes on the stars above.

"I promised Dalso that I would get him to Oros and reunite him with his tribe. I have failed him."

"Hiccup…"

"I know, it's not my fault. But his spirit is free now, and I made a new promise to find the Wenja and help them in any way we can."

Astrid beamed at Hiccup's optimism and leaned her head on his shoulder. He reciprocated by resting his head on hers. For a while, it was a peaceful silence.

"Ow!"

Snotlout's abrupt yelp startled Hiccup and Astrid. The others were also awakened and held Snotlout to calm him down.

"Snotlout, what are you doing? It is still sleeping time!"

"Well excuse me, Ruffy, but it would still be sleeping time for me too if you hadn't placed this arrow carelessly!"

"What do you mean? I placed all of my arrows in my quiver!"

Astrid peered her eyes at the arrow Snotlout was holding and noticed something about it. Ignoring the argument, she walked up to Snotlout and snatched the arrow from him.

"Astrid, I'm trying to make a point…"

"Shhh!"

Astrid's shush was all it took to silence Snotlout as she examined the arrow closely. Everyone else could only look on with confusion.

"This arrow, I can tell it's older and too tattered to be ours."

"What?" probed Tuffnut.

"Are you sure?" Fishlegs asked.

"I know the age of a weapon when I see it."

Astrid passed the arrow to Hiccup, and he also felt the coarseness in its texture, along with the completely dry blood that smeared its head.

"Someone else used this cave before we did," he said. "If I have to guess…"

"The Wenja that traveled to Oros." Astrid's guess brought a surge of hope in everyone. Hiccup's eyes then locked onto something engraved in a slab of stone in the cave. He dropped the arrow to examine his new finding. Upon touching it, he realized that much of the stone was covered in dust and decided to blow it all away. Within seconds, the rock revealed the painting of a mammoth. Elation began to overwhelm Hiccup and made him laugh with joy.

"We're on the right path!"

Everyone cheered and jumped at the revelation. They had come so far and would not waste a moment in getting to Oros. Hiccup and Astrid shared a brief kiss on the lips before melting in an embrace. When the celebration died down, a series of deep pants and growls could be heard from the other end of the cave. Everyone grew silent and armed themselves with their bows to prepare for the worst. They noticed that a wall of vines obstructed the cave's other entrance, but the gaps were enough for them to see the great bear standing on the precipice of a cliff. The beast looked around and sniffed the air for a scent, which prompted the group to use the cave as cover. Fishlegs felt something irritating his nose and would have sneezed their positions away if the Twins had not placed their hands over his face. The bear did not see or smell anything too peculiar and its departure gave the humans the relieving break they needed.

"Chief, I think it's for the best if we leave this place now."

"Agreed."

"Seconded."

"Right behind you Ruff."

Hiccup and Astrid nodded to each other before he looked at his bow and quiver of arrows, as well as the wall of vines before him.

"We can't waste our arrows, so we'll need something bigger and sturdier."

Without wasting a second, the group used the alder wood and the slate flints they possessed to craft clubs. Hiccup light his club on fire before he set the vines ablaze. Fifteen seconds was all it took for the wall to be seared down, allowing the group to exit the cave and into a moderately sized ravine. With his flaming club in hand, Hiccup led his companions on the path to Oros.

For one minute the group followed Hiccup until they came across a ledge with a rather large drop off to the bottom.

"It's too tall," said Astrid. "We might hurt ourselves upon landing."

"And it's too steep for us to hold onto," Fishlegs added.

"How about these vines here?"

Ruffnut was at the right corner of the ledge when she saw a vine that crept straight down to the bottom.

"Nice finding sis," praised Tuffnut.

"You have the vision of an eagle."

Fishlegs' comment made Ruffnut blush for a moment. Hiccup was the first to climb down the vines, with Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Tuffnut, and Ruffnut following after. Snotlout looked around when he saw a mildly scorched area on his left. He knelt and felt the temperature when he placed his hand on the ash.

"It's quite warm," he informed his group. "Which means…"

"Someone was here," finished Hiccup. "Could be a Wenja."

When he placed the torch closer to the ground, he noticed dried blood along with two types of footprints circling on the ground.

"Human and wolf. There was a fight."

The chieftain then realized the tracks were going down the ravine, and it might be the best for them to follow the trail. The flames nearly burned half of his torch so they needed to move quickly. The group was so focused on the tracks that they nearly jumped when the body of a wolf came to the light.

"No need to worry," Astrid told the others. "It's already dead. The Wenja must have killed it."

Howls could then be heard through the ravine, prompting Astrid, Snotlout, and Tuffnut to prepare their bows and arrows. Three pairs of yellow eyes were glinting in the distance, and the group knew that wolves were more aggressive at night. Without hesitation, the trio fired their arrows and shut the eyes permanently.

"Direct hit!" exclaimed Tuffnut.

The group walked to the area and saw the wolves had an arrow protruding from their head. They quickly harvested the parts they needed and followed the human tracks that led straight onto the ledge of a cavernous tunnel. Hiccup continued to lead the way and more than half of his torch were charred. He then saw an extinguished campfire up ahead, a clue worth investigating.

"It's warmer than the one before."

"So the Wenja is close," added Astrid.

"Hopefully not too close." Fishlegs' nervousness was met with baffled looks of his companions. "I mean, how do we know if this Wenja won't attack us on sight?"

"Because we have been accepted to their tribe, Fishy," answered Snotlout. "We're all wearing the whiteshell bracelets."

"What if it's not that simple? What if the Wenja of Oros think we stole the bracelets? What if…"

Fishlegs' rambling ceased when Ruffnut held onto his arm and caressed his face with a soothing hush.

"It's okay darling. We'll find our way around it. Take a deep breath and let your problems go away."

Fishlegs heeded to his wife's instruction and felt more relaxed than he was before.

"Thanks love. I needed it."

Fishlegs gave Ruffnut an affectionate kiss and regained his composure. Seconds later, the group came across another ledge that led straight to a pool of water. Since it was the only path, all six of them jumped to the pool. The water snuffed the fire on Hiccup's torch, allowing darkness to overtake the cave as the group head for shore.

"Well, at least we have our bath," Ruffnut remarked.

"A waterfall would be nice," jabbed Tuffnut.

Hiccup noticed that the flames had blackened most of his wet club. With its purpose fulfilled, he tossed it to the pool.

"I got it."

Astrid brandished her club from her belt, set it alight with animal fat before giving it to the grateful Hiccup. The journey through the tunnel continued when they came across another extinguished campfire.

"This is the warmest," Hiccup noted. "We're getting close."

With all sorts of emotions in their minds, the group picked up the pace. Their presence forced a pair of rats to scurry into their holes. The ceiling of the tunnel was shrinking, inciting the humans to crouch. It did not take long for them to come across another ledge with water flowing down the rest of the path.

"Here we go again," said Snotlout.

One by one, the group dove down and swam their way through. The walls between them became narrower until a greater opening presented itself. Before them was a cave with a shaft of sunlight piercing through the roof along with a ledge for them to scale. Hiccup was the first to climb up and saw a dead human with his ears cut off. The others caught up and they all peeked around before witnessing a young woman with cloth made of skin seemingly looting several other human bodies in the cave. Astrid was the one who gave away their positions when her foot almost slipped off the floor. To the woman, the sudden appearance of six strangers was alarming and brandished her knife in their direction.

"It's okay!" Hiccup assured her as he climbed up the ledge and showed his unarmed hands. "We're not here to harm you."

The woman, however, growled at him. She was not convinced and stood upright to look larger and more intimidating. Hiccup's five companions soon joined their leader and planned to use their weapons if negotiation turned awry. Astrid had her eyes fixed on the woman until she saw something at the cave's entrance.

"Uhh, guys…"

The others soon perceived what Astrid was suggesting and armed themselves with bows and arrows. Hiccup grabbed the woman's torch on the ground and the latter was about to attack when a shadow loomed behind her. Just as she turned, the giant bear that Hiccup's group encountered roared and scratched the woman's back with its claws. The woman screamed as she fell on her chest and she would be dead if Hiccup had not used the torch to ward off the bear. The bear backed away but was too stubborn to run from the fight. Arrows bounced when they hit the bear's hide, and options were limited until Fishlegs spotted a crevice to his right.

"Through here!"

The woman followed Fishlegs' cue and head straight for the crevice. Hiccup continued to wave his torch at the bear as the others ran into the crevice for safety.

"Hiccup! Come on!"

Astrid's encouragement motivated Hiccup to slowly made his way to the crevice. The bear had its adversary cornered and when Hiccup jumped to the crevice, it charged and crashed onto the entrance. Its vast bulk prevented it from chasing down the humans. Frustrated, the bear tried to use its paws to further its reach. The futile attempt made the bear roar with anger and walked away. Hiccup and his group were able to relax, knowing that they were truly safe.

"Yeah! You might want to try losing weight next time, Scarface!"

"Ooh, that's a good name for such grizzled bear, brother."

"Always a pleasure, sister."

Astrid, Fishlegs, and Snotlout quietly chuckled at the Twins' banter, though Hiccup was more concerned about the woman who was in the shadows in front of them.

"Follow me, this way."

The group was surprised to hear the woman speak for the first time. It seemed that saving her life was the only requirement to gain her trust.

The woman led the group through the dark and narrow path until the sun shone the way. Upon exiting the crevice, Hiccup and his group were astounded at the sight before them. An expansive and fertile valley teeming with flora and fauna. With mountains in the North, forests in the middle, and marshes in the South, there was no need for them to speculate. They all knew.

"Oros."

Hiccup could feel a great burden slowly lifted from his body. He was about to keep the promise he made to Dalso. A gasp goaded all six of them to look back at the woman who appeared to be praying to her hands. When she was done, she realized that the six strangers were all wearing bracelets made of whiteshells.

"You are Wenja."

The woman walked up to the strangers to examine the bracelets and compared them with hers. The daylight and more placid condition allowed the group to gain a clearer look at the woman. She was around their age with olive skin, brown hair, a circular tattoo on her forehead, an armband of reeds and clams, as well as a necklace decorated with ears.

"Yes, we pretty much are," Hiccup said as he began his introduction awkwardly. "I'm Hiccup, and these are Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Tuffnut, and Ruffnut."

The woman was greeted with smiles and hand waves from the strangers. Since they have given their names, it would be appropriate for her to do the same.

"Sayla."

"Why were you in that bear's cave, Sayla?" asked Astrid.

"The bear killed Udam," was Sayla's answer. "I need Udam ears."

Fishlegs and Snotlout winced at the 'ears' part. She already had a necklace full of them. Why would she need more? Sayla then picked up the ears from her bag and showed them to her new acquaintances. The Twins were the only ones who were awed by the up-close sight of blood and rotting flesh.

"Were you, all alone?"

Despite the question from Hiccup, Sayla chose to remain silent and placed the ears back in her bag. She then decided to change the discussion to something, simpler.

"I have shelter. As well as food. I can show you."

The group could feel an aura of uneasiness when Sayla made the offer. Initially, they were quite unsure to trust someone they just met. But Sayla had not done anything that would truly harm them and perhaps it was for the best to follow her into the valley of Oros.

"Come on!"


	3. Deep Wounds

Sayla led the group on a hike through the ledges of Oros. Fishlegs, in particular, was captivated by the valley's fertility and beauty. The red cedar trees towered over every living creature, and the ample numbers of streams, rivers, and lakes could nourish Oros for a very long time. Ravens and starlings regale the skies with their songs as herds of deer grazed on the fields alongside hares and mallards that were drying up from their bath in a nearby river. Distant trumpets of mammoths meant that animals of all shapes and sizes could thrive in this haven.

Within the hour, the group managed to reach Sayla's cave. Its proximity to a stream and a waterfall meant that quenching thirst would never be a trek to distant areas. The campfire near the entrance brought warmth to the group since their evening excursion involved swimming. Sayla grabbed something from a clay pot and handed several to her guests.

"Blueberries," said Fishlegs. "Good for our bones and skin."

Hiccup and his group sat by the campfire as they ate the berries alongside Sayla and had a look around the place. The cave had several paintings on their walls and its interior was indeed large. Hiccup knew that it could fit more than one Wenja, which got him to ask the big question.

"Where are the other Wenja?"

Sayla grew silent after she swallowed her berries. Hiccup and Astrid could tell numerous emotions were fuming on her face. She stood up and walked towards a painting of what appeared to be a black man with spikes on his shoulders and a red handprint.

"Ull," she began as a spark of fire blazed in her eyes. "Leader of the Udam. He destroyed Wenja home!" Sayla slammed her right fist on the painting, huffing with anger and sorrow. "The Udam killed many Wenja!"

Astrid noticed from Sayla's movements that the latter started to limp. Fortunately, the Hiccup and Snotlout were quick on their feet and caught Sayla before she could fall. Tears started to gush from her grey eyes and there was a crack in her voice as she continued her story.

"Now, the surviving Wenja walk alone. With no real home in Oros."

Hiccup could feel something warm and liquid seeping onto his right palm. His suspicions were confirmed as blood trickled from Sayla's shoulder. The Wenja woman groaned quietly at the sight.

"The bear's claws were strong."

Sayla crouched on her back as the group inspected the wound. Their natural reactions at the blood were sharp inhaling.

"Hiccup, if that gash is not treated, it will fester and become infected," informed Fishlegs. "We might lose her."

When the young chieftain tried to close the wound with his hand, Sayla balked and grabbed him by the hand.

"You will need special green leaves," she told them. "You can find them growing around rivers."

"Are you sure?" Sayla nodded to Astrid's question.

"You will know them when you see them." Astrid then looked to her contemplating husband.

"Hiccup?"

Hiccup thought about the request Dalso gave him: find their missing Wenja brothers and sisters. They truly were missing and they had not come this far to lose.

"Tuff, Ruff, can you watch over Sayla?"

"We won't leave her out of our sight, Chief!" Tuffnut proclaimed with certainty. Ruffnut simply gave her leader two thumbs up.

"Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, let's go find those special green leaves."

After Ruffnut gave Fishlegs a kiss, Hiccup and his three chosen companions left the cave with every weapon they could have. The direction of the stream should be adequate to guide them to the special green leaves.

"Special green leaves, special green leaves," muttered Snotlout. "What's so 'special' about them? Every leaf I see around us is green."

"Well they undoubtedly have certain properties that make them unique," Fishlegs replied. "The shape, the size, the smell, the taste…"

"No need to elaborate the geek details, Fishy."

An irritant grunt was Fishlegs' only response. A nearby herd of deer and bharals sensed the presence of humans and dashed away. The quartet soon came across a small but abandoned camp surrounded with stones that could not have been stacked through natural means. The campfire in the center was still burning.

"Looks like we're not the only ones on this side of Oros," noted Astrid.

Distant yells made the four prepared their guard. When they looked over a hill north of them, they saw a human with a fair complexion, covered in red body paint, and wearing a spear belt beating down what appeared to be the dead body of another human on the riverbank. From his olive complexion and whiteshell bracelet, Hiccup deduced that the dead human was a Wenja, and from Sayla's story, he had a pretty good idea on the assailant.

"Udam," he whispered.

"Talk about beating a dead man," Fishlegs commented.

"He won't be the only one if that brute sees us."

Astrid acknowledged Snotlout's words as she fired her arrow straight to the Udam's spine, killing him. She then turned her sight on a strange-looking plant with round green leaves, and it was standing near the dead Udam.

"I believe that's the special green leaves?" she asked the smiling Fishlegs.

"The very ones."

Hiccup sprinted towards the plant and used his knife to cut the leaves before putting them in his bag. Astrid retrieved her arrow and she closed the dead Wenja's eyes while Fishlegs and Snotlout loot whatever the dead Udam had.

"Meat, animal hide, and bones," Snotlout said.

"Could come in handy later," agreed Fishlegs.

"I got the special green leaves," Hiccup announced. "Something tells me that we might need more."

Astrid's eyes scoured the other side of the river where more special green leaves were growing. Her abrupt crouching also convinced the others to do the same, and they understood when they saw two Udam lingering over a large rock.

"We can cross over the shallower water," she whispered to them. "But we'll also need to take those two out."

One of the Udam decided to patrol the riverbank until an arrow soared and landed between his eyes. His companion could not respond in time as a second arrow made its mark on his heart. With their enemies dispatched, the quartet wasted no time in collecting the special green leaves, and Snotlout could feel a nauseous sensation in his stomach upon seeing what was the Udam camp had in store. When Fishlegs arrived at the scene, he shared the same impression as well.

"Guys, come on! We need to…"

Hiccup's mouth stopped dead on its tracks when he and Astrid gasped at the atrocity. Two bloodied Wenja corpses on the ground and a third hung over the campfire with one of his arms hacked off.

"Cannibals…"

No one disagreed with Fishlegs. The Udam's attack on the Wenja was more than just murder. It was a feast. Despite the gruesome sight, the quartet released the dead Wenja and placed him with his fallen brethren. After a brief prayer, Snotlout looted the dead Udam and followed his companions to the other side of the river. When they were on dry land, a wolf confronted and growled at them. As Hiccup and Astrid nocked their arrows, a hissing snarl from the forest distracted the wolf to turn its back. A tawny leopard with darker cloud-like spots bared its teeth as it pounced at the wolf and started a fight. The wolf was larger, but the leopard was quick to counter its bite with swipes from its claws. With the two animals busy with each other, the quartet used this opportunity to sneak away and complete their errand.

"I did not expect to see that," stated Astrid.

"Not an exactly an everyday thing," Snotlout added.

The quartet could see the cave up ahead when an arrow landed on the bark of the red cedar on their left and gave them the jump.

"Wenja!"

They looked back and shocked to see three Udam running towards them from the river. The first was holding a club, the second was wielding a spear, and the third was nocking a second arrow.

"Go!"

No one questioned Hiccup's orders as all four ran for their lives. The Udam spear flew through the air and over Snotlout's head until it landed on a fallen log. Astrid swiveled back to lose her arrow. It hit the first Udam on the shoulder, wounding but not killing him. Fishlegs was the slowest in running, but then he stood his ground and gazed at the club-wielding Udam. With his knife brandished, Fishlegs bellowed a wild battle cry, charged at the Udam, slammed him to the ground, before he stabbed his enemy in the heart three times. The spear-wielding Udam took cover behind a red cedar and planned to strike Fishlegs in the head. What he did not take into account was Snotlout's club that was hurled to his face. Concussion overtook the Udam, and Snotlout took the opportunity to bash the Udam's head into a bloodied pulp.

"Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi! Oi! Oi!"

Drenched their enemies' blood, Fishlegs and Snotlout regrouped and barely avoided another arrow that the third Udam fired at them. They took cover behind the log while Hiccup and Astrid tried their best in taking out the remaining hostile. Every time after they shot their arrow, the Udam was able to move closer to find a closer cover.

"Damn, he's good," Hiccup admitted.

"But not as good as us," replied Astrid. "And we're running out of arrows."

"Can somebody please kill this guy already?"

Snotlout's complain gave mild annoyance to his three friends, but it changed to answered prayer when a spear zoomed over their heads and went straight through the Udam's mouth. The quartet was bewildered at the sight and turned back to see Tuffnut rubbing his palms.

"How come you guys get to have all the fun?"

The quartet laughed at Tuffnut's joke and reassured to know the situation was handled. They retrieved their weapons and looted the dead Udam so that they could finish their mission. Fishlegs and Snotlout used the stream to wash the blood away before rejoining the others. Ruffnut and Sayla greeted them with joyful grins.

"Told you they'll make it back."

Sayla smiled at Ruffnut's confirmation as Hiccup offered the special green leaves. Sayla grabbed a handful of the leaves and chewed them in her mouth.

"The screams are loud today," she told the group. "Did you hear them?"

"Screams?" Hiccup asked. Even the others were uncertain about what Sayla was saying. Was she talking about the screams of the Udam that they just killed? Or was it something else? Sayla did not elaborate and proceeded to vomit the chewed leaves on Hiccup's hand. Everyone was confused and mildly sickened at her action.

"Spread them over the wound."

Comprehension dawned on the group's faces and Hiccup was about to follow through when Sayla halted him. She grabbed a piece of wood near the campfire and held it with her teeth before giving Hiccup a nod of approval. Sayla's groans resonated in and out of the cave, forcing most of the group to shut their eyes with unpleasantness. When Hiccup was finished, Sayla released the wood and handed a large leaf to him that would act as her bandage. She gasped with relief knowing that she will make a full recovery.

"Thank you."

Hiccup returned the gesture with a nod. He then turned his gaze to the vast lands of Oros that was right before him and his group.

"There are other Wenja out there who will need help as well."

Astrid knew what Hiccup was planning and held his hand with a beam of agreement. Then Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the Twins stood with him with smiles of support.

"Oros is big," Sayla said. "Danger comes in many forms. Not just animals, but also Udam."

She then held Hiccup and Astrid's hands with hope swelling in her eyes.

"This cave is safe. If you find any of our Wenja brothers and sisters, tell them to live here."

Hiccup and Astrid smiled and firmed their grip, telling Sayla that they would keep their promise. The group took a deep breath together and set their feet out from the shadows. They waved Sayla goodbye as they truly begin to explore Oros and reunite the missing Wenja.


	4. Vision of Beasts

The group was advancing towards the river when they saw the leopard and the wolf most of them encountered, laid dead with arrows on their heads and hungry ravens pecking certain parts of their bodies.

"I guess the Udam we killed won the fight," Fishlegs remarked.

"And we shouldn't allow them to go to waste."

Hiccup and Astrid approved Snotlout's suggestion as their approach scared the ravens away, which allowed them to skin the leopard and the wolf without disturbances. The skins, meat, bones, fat, and hide would be of use soon. With that done, the group continued their journey into Oros.

Upon crossing the river, the group started to listen to a series of shrill whistles coming from the North. The Twins were the first to turn around and witnessed a pack of eight dholes surrounding the leopard and wolf carcasses, growling and yapping at each other as they began their feast. Knowing what was best, the six humans let the canines be and walked forward.

Snotlout grew tired when the others simply waited for a lone boar to finish its grazing, but it had been blocking their path for five minutes. Frustrated, Snotlout snatched Tuffnut's spear and flung it at the boar's head, killing it in an instant.

"Snotlout, we can't just kill every animal in our path," scolded Hiccup.

"Sorry Chief, but the day's not getting any younger," was Snotlout's argument as he walked to the boar to skin it. "Besides, we'll need the provisions it provided. Also, you know how I love roasted boar butt."

Astrid rolled her eyes at Snotlout's excuse but she decided to let it go. She then used the time to collect nearby slate flints and alder wood. Not long after, the group caught sounds of yelling just over the hill in front of them. They kept a low profile and saw two Wenja spearmen fighting against two Udam archers before a towering yet extinguished bonfire. One of the Wenja had his side scraped by an Udam arrow as the other did her best in protecting her companion. The Udam were about to draw their arrows when both of them were riddled with arrows fired by Hiccup and Astrid. The Wenja were surprised by the sudden deaths of their enemies as the group walked to them with calm composures.

"Thank you, brothers and sisters," said the Wenja woman. Astrid checked on the man's wound and applied the same technique Hiccup performed on Sayla with the special green leaves, but at a smaller scale.

"You certainly know how to heal."

Astrid merely smiled at the Wenja man's compliment.

"There's a cave west of here. You'll be safe there."

The Wenja pair nodded at Hiccup's information. Snotlout and Tuffnut looted the dead Udam while Fishlegs was more fixated on the bonfire before them.

"What's this doing out here?" he asked.

"Bonfires helped Wenja in finding their way through Oros," explained the Wenja woman. "They also show our claim to certain territories."

"But the Udam doused the fire," the Wenja man added. "Without light from the bonfires, the Wenja are lost."

"Well, there's no more Udam around here, so…"

Tuffnut read his sister's thoughts as he used animal fat to ignite his spear and passed it to the wooden structure. Within seconds, the bonfire blazed with fire once more as a passing owl circled it with a screech before flying away.

"Thank you, brother."

"No problem," replied Tuffnut to the Wenja pair. "Now go to the cave in the West. Also, you might want to watch out for a pack of feasting dholes along the way."

"Dholes are easy to be scared off," said the Wenja man. "Good luck on your journey."

The group bid the pair farewell and turned their attention to the bonfire, which they viewed as a beacon of hope and light in dark times.

* * *

"I hope we can find a place to sleep soon," nagged Tuffnut as the group hiked northeast through the mountainous forests. "My legs are starting to kill me."

"You are welcome to walk back to the bonfire or Sayla's cave, brother," jeered Ruffnut. "I'm sure you can walk through the night alone since dusk is approaching."

Howls of wolves in the distance made Tuffnut think about what he blurted out.

"I think sticking with you guys increases my chances of survival."

"Wise choice, Tuffy," Snotlout added.

A drove of hares scattered past the group when they heard more sounds ahead of them. They soon caught the sight of three Udam spearmen sitting around a campfire, and west of them was a pond sitting before a cave. As the sun disappeared and shadows grew, Hiccup, Astrid, and Ruffnut used the darkness to slay the Udam with their arrows. Fishlegs, Snotlout, and Tuffnut then looted clay pots, special green leaves, and reeds from the bodies.

"Look at that, a cave that we can use for the night," Astrid pointed out.

"But is it occupied?" Fishlegs' question was answered when a pale orange glow stirred within the cave.

"Udam?" asked Ruffnut to her chieftain.

"Only one way to find out."

Hiccup set his club on fire and light the way for the group. When they entered, Snotlout noticed a bag dangling on the ceiling. He brought it down and looted the red leaves and dhole skin that it contained. The glow grew stronger and they could hear a male voice chanting 'oh great spirits, give us strength through this strife' repeatedly. Hiccup and the others were puzzled and decided to proceed in this new venture.

Eventually, they caught the sight of a man, dancing and chanting before a campfire with a large branch in his hands. He was either twice or thrice the group's age with white paint around his dark complexion, draped in loincloth and wolf skin that had stag antlers protruding out of them. Much to the group's relief, they decided not to draw their weapons, for the man's whiteshell anklet, as well as armband of reeds and clams, confirmed that he was of the Wenja tribe.

Hiccup extinguished the fire on his club and slowly approached the dancing man. When Hiccup cleared his throat, the man stopped his dancing, dropped the branch, and abruptly grabbed Hiccup's shoulders with glee. Astrid and the others tried to pull the man away from Hiccup, but the grip was too tight. Hiccup's close encounter also allowed him to see that the man's blue eyes were half-blind.

"Strong spirits! Strong spirits!" proclaimed the man until Hiccup pried his shoulders to complete freedom. "You are the ones!"

The group was completely dumbfounded at the man's statement about them. Instead of elaborating what he just said, the man sat before the campfire and pinched a handful of dust placed in clay bowls until he spread them over the flames and waved his hands around the smoke.

"Who are you, wolf man?" Snotlout questioned.

"Wolf man?" repeated the man. "I am Tensay, the Wenja shaman."

"I didn't expect a shaman to be this strange," whispered Fishlegs as if he remembered someone with comparable qualities.

"I tried to call for strong spirits," Tensay continued as he reached into a nearby bag and revealed a live rat in his left hand. In his right hand was a stone knife. "Lions, bears, elks, rhinos, mammoths…" Before the group knew it, Tensay gutted the rat and spilled its blood into six skulls of leopards that were already filled with greater masses of blood.

"Then you came."

Tensay placed the dead rat and the stone knife on the ground and handed each member of the group the skulls. They all tried to prevent themselves from vomiting, for they already understood what Tensay wished them to do with the skulls.

"Drink, all of you. Drink."

With great reluctance and Tensay's insistence, they gulped the blood down and tried their best to endure the saline taste that was flooding their mouths. Soon, all of them felt exhaustion overtaking their body as Tensay and the entire cave became hazy with a dampened, deep voice.

"Let your spirit walk free. Let it walk free."

One by one, the group woozily lost their footing, starting from the Twins, to Snotlout, to Fishlegs, to Astrid, and finally, to Hiccup. The couple struggled to look at each other's eyes, only for darkness to greet them.

* * *

When the group opened their eyes, they immediately found themselves standing on a stream in a forest filled with animals of various shapes and sizes. The one trait they have in common, however, was the ethereal golden light that veiled their bodies.

"Guys?" asked Hiccup.

"Is this for real?" Snotlout queried as he swayed his hands through a golden deer's body, almost as if it was intangible.

"Are we, dead?" probed Fishlegs with a quivering voice.

"I'm not sure…" Ruffnut's words trailed off, for she was captivated in her attempts of touching a golden tortoise.

"Come here, golden ghost birds," said Tuffnut as he tried to pet some of the golden mallards and starlings.

Hiccup and Astrid walked towards a massive elk with vast antlers on its head. The beast sniffed at the pair before emitting an elegant bellow.

"They are not afraid," Astrid commented, as Hiccup remained silent.

A haunting yet soothing screech enticed the group to walk further down the stream. The chieftain led his friends as they encountered more golden animals along their path. Soon enough, they saw a golden owl perched on an altar of stone, preening its feathers with a soothing chirrup. When it was cleaned up, the owl gazed at the advancing six humans, particularly at its leader of auburn hair. Hiccup reached his hand out to the owl as a growing light emanated from the bird and consumed everything that the group saw.

Moments later, the group screamed as they plummeted hundreds of feet from the air, as the ground beneath grew larger with every second.

"If we're not dead, I don't want to die!" shrieked Snotlout.

Everyone covered his or her eyes in preparation for the worst. Just then, an inexplicable feeling prevented them from crash-landing and made them soar through the air and the forests. Fear transformed into wonder and exhilaration.

"We're flying! We're flying!" Fishlegs hollered with joy.

"And we're alive!" added Snotlout. "Woohoo!"

"Somehow I feel that we have all flown before," Ruffnut mused.

"Who cares, sis? This is awesome!"

A red cedar snapped Tuffnut from his recklessness and he narrowly banked left or he would have crashed.

"Okay, it's awesome and scary."

Hiccup and Astrid chuckled at the phenomenon until a familiar screech was heard above them. The golden owl flew in front of the group as it zipped through the forest.

"Follow the owl!"

The group kept tailing over the owl as they soared through the forested environment. They could see golden animals below them, running around with excitement. When the owls dove into a pool of water, the group held their breath and plunged in as well. To their surprise, they were able to breathe in the water and that there was a forest submerged in it as well. Schools of golden salmon swam past them, along with another type of fish that was larger and armed with sharp spear-like teeth. The owl guided the group over the waterfall and when the humans breached the curtain, they fell into a pond and quickly resurfaced. Upon exiting the pond, the waiting owl flew off and had the group following it through another forested environment. They saw more golden animals throughout their path before finding the owl perching on a tree root that was growing along a ledge. Using a gentler motion, Hiccup once again reached his hand out to the owl.

"Where are you leading us?"

The owl, as expected, did not say anything. Instead, it flew out to the forest and the group was left to fly after it. They whizzed through the forest and into a gorge with cascading waterfalls on each side. Less than a minute later, they saw the owl heading through another waterfall. Instead of falling into a body of water like last time, they went above the canopies of another forest that was drenched in rain, which also had mountains that were floating in the air. Mammoths, rhinos, and elks stampeded through the gale as lightning flashed and thunder cracked. The humans' gazes widened when they saw that the owl was leading them into a tornado of ravens and eagles. They wished to fly away but they were somehow compelled to go after their guide. With eyes closed, they went straight into the tornado and yelled with incoherence as they spiraled riotously around the storm.

Another blinding light and the group somehow landed in another forest completely dry and without a single scratch on their bodies. The owl was perching nearby and flew off to a certain distance when its followers returned on their feet. This time, the area they stood on had little trees and several specific wildlife along the path they were taking.

"Aww, badgers," cooed Ruffnut as she fawned at the smaller creatures even though she could not touch them. Fishlegs looked to his right and the animals before him gave him a mild startle.

"Wolverines," he told the others. "They're not very big, but these guys can give you quite of a bite."

Tuffnut smiled when at a quintet of dholes lying around and playing with one another. A quartet of howling wolves made the impressed Snotlout whistled. Astrid beamed when a trio of leopards mewed and purred next to her. A pair of lions made Hiccup ponder with inquisitiveness, for their regal manners reminded him of someone he knew. The panting and growling of a bear intimidated the group, seeing how their latest experience with one was not the most positive. Eventually, the owl came into their sight resting on the branch of a tree. As if he knew of what he must do, Hiccup reached his hand out again and freed his mind of any thoughts. The owl's golden feathers molted away and revealed its brown-black feathers and sincere orange eyes as it perched on Hiccup's hand and give out hoots that brought warmth into the group's hearts. Hiccup showed the owl to his companions, allowing them to pet the bird as everything dimmed into shadows.


	5. Beast Masters

Hiccup was the first to wake up with a wobbly groan as Astrid and the others followed with a mild headache. The glow from the campfire aided the group in clarifying their vision and they slowly focused on Tensay who was painting on the cave's walls with red ochre.

"You bonded with the owl," said the shaman.

"Wait, what?" Tuffnut asked with a feeble voice.

"How do you know?" questioned Ruffnut as Fishlegs supported her back.

Snotlout was about to protest on Tensay's concoction when a screech that he and the rest of the group had grown accustomed to resonated around the cave. They looked around before they came across an owl perching on a wooden pole within the cave. The bird tilted its head with curiosity as it made eye contact with the six humans. It eventually glided down and landed near Hiccup's legs, and he was surprised to see it in full consciousness. What's more surprising was the owl starting to nuzzle Hiccup's side with hoots that soothed the hearts of the group and allowed the young chieftain to pet it. The owl then approached the other humans and had them return the affection it gave them.

"We did this in our dream," Astrid commented.

"It was not a dream," corrected Tensay as he crouched next to the group. "The owl spirit has named all of you Beast Masters."

All six of them were perplexed. The owl in their vision bestowed them titles?

"Beast Masters?" Snotlout asked.

"Yes! Beast Masters! You can tame the spirits of the wild and have them join you in your fight!"

Tensay then continued to paint the cave walls with the group still somewhat confused with the shaman's proclamation.

"Uhh… Okay…" said Fishlegs. "But with all due respect, Tensay, what did you put in the-Umph!"

Fishlegs was unable to finish his question since Astrid elbowed him in the chest and he grew silent after seeing the glare she gave him. With the owl perching on his left arm, Hiccup stood up and decided to tell the important matter to Tensay.

"There is a cave in the West where Wenja can take refuge, Tensay. We think it's best if you go there."

"Yes, I will join you there soon. There's a wolf pack living North of here. Find them and calm their spirits. Prove to the other Wenja that you are the Beast Masters. Give them hope and strength."

"Wolves?" asked Snotlout with a gulp.

"Sounds awesome," whispered the Twins to each other.

"Go Beast Masters. Fulfill your destinies."

Unsure if Tensay was crazy or not, Hiccup knew that they must do what Tensay asked them.

"Guys, let's go find those wolves."

Snotlout groaned at what his chieftain decided.

"What's the matter Snotlout? Are you scared to make friends with wolves?" asked Astrid with a teasing voice.

"No, of course not," he denied. "It's just that wolves and I did not have the best history, especially when one of them tried to maim my face several years ago."

"Looks like now it's the right time to change the course of that history," encouraged Hiccup. Snotlout sighed and gave out a reluctant nod.

When the group stepped out from the cave, night had fallen on Oros. Although the moon and the stars could be used as a light in the darkness, Astrid set her club on fire to keep everyone warm and safe.

"Good thinking, A," complimented Tuffnut. "Oros is chilly at night."

"Anytime."

Astrid and Hiccup took the lead in the trek to the wolves. Fishlegs and Ruffnut gathered some reeds, slate flints, and alder wood along the way while Snotlout and Tuffnut guarded the rear of the group. Bats were briefly seen and heard squeaking through the shadows. Deer understood that flames wielded by humans meant danger and darted away to safety.

It was when the group crossed through a clearing when they came across a ghastly sight. A dead wolf scored with arrows accompanied with spears adorned with decapitated heads of other wolves.

"This is without a doubt, not Wenja craftsmanship," remarked Fishlegs.

"And there's another tribe in Oros who would be willing to commit such atrocity," Tuffnut added.

Ruffnut was about to continue her brother's sentence when the noises of chatters as well as the smell and sight of smoke North of them gained everyone's attention. With the trees and the night as their cover, the group crept through the forest and from the distance, viewed more dead wolves and the people who were feasting on them around the campfire.

"Udam, of course," said Snotlout with distaste.

"Are we too late?" Ruffnut asked with anxiety but swelled with hope again when howls resonated on the horizon.

"Not yet," replied Astrid before she extinguished the flames on her club and held onto her bow. The owl on Hiccup's arm unfolded its wings as if to tell its human companions that it was prepared

One of the seven Udam was about to approach one of the wolf corpses when it noticed an owl diving from above with talons unlocked. The other Udam panicked when the owl gauged their comrade's eyes out and flew off to leave its victim dropping dead. Even though the Udam had spears, bows, and arrows, four of them were swiftly assassinated when arrows pierced through their necks. The remaining three fell to Fishlegs' knife, Snotlout's club, and Tuffnut's spear. Snotlout proceeded to bludgeoned each of the Udam body to validate their fate. He wiped the blood off his face before he was met with somewhat confused eyes of his friends.

"We have to be certain that we confirmed the kill," he explained.

"I think we got them all, Snotty," assured Tuffnut.

The howls sounded louder than before, which meant that the living wolves were not too far where they are. Hiccup allowed the others to loot the dead Udam as the owl flew off his arm and perched on a boulder not very far from the humans' current location. It emitted several screeches with its eyes greatly fixed on something.

"This way," Hiccup said as they all followed the owl. The group halted when they reached the edge of the forest and saw two wolves, one with light grey fur and one with dark brown fur, sitting in front of a cave and howled towards the night sky. The noises they conveyed were haunting, beautiful, and yet melancholic at the same time. Whether they were reinforcing their bond, communicating with other wolves in their territory, or mourning the loss of their packmates, was up to the group's speculation.

"So, any idea on how we can calm their wild spirits like what Tensay told us to do?" asked Astrid.

"Well we can't just walk up to them and said 'hello wolves, we humans come in peace', 'cause that would be stupid."

"We're the Beast Masters love," said Ruffnut to her husband. "We'll think of something."

"Speaking of something, I have plenty of meat in my bag and we should eat them for dinner."

Snotlout's speech gave Hiccup just the idea for them to tame the wolves. He reached into his bag and grabbed some of the meat he acquired. Astrid understood what her husband was suggesting and copied his gesture.

"Guys," Hiccup said to his friends. "Whatever happens, we need you to lay down your weapons. This could be our only shot."

The feasting Snotlout had his mouth full of meat, so he was unable to object to Hiccup's request. Fishlegs and the Twins loosened the grips on their respective weapons to show that they understood what their chieftain needed.

Just as the wolves were about to enter their cave, their noses picked up the scent of fresh meat from the South. They ambled away from the cave and traced the smell to large pieces of pig flesh that were laying close to the forest's edge. The wolves sniffed them before biting and swallowing them in several bites. When they were finished, their amber eyes caught the sight of two humans slowly approaching them with their hands reached out. The wolves then barked and growled at them while the humans maintained direct eye contact. After everything that happened, the canines wanted nothing to do with humans. But there's something different about the pair before them. They were not hostile and the shushing noise they made seemed welcoming and slowly soothed the aggression within. The fading barks and growls gradually paved freedom for pants and whimpers. Noses allowed hands to be touched and then greeted with warm tongues. Hiccup and Astrid smiled with jubilance as the wolves sniffed and lick their bodies all around with joy and excitement. In return, the pair pet and ruffled their new four-legged friends. Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the Twins exhaled their worries away while realizing that their leaders would not be torn to shreds.

"It's okay guys," Hiccup announced with a complete guarantee as the grey wolf licked his face.

When the four humans stepped out from the shadows, the wolves took interest in them and started to sniff and lick them. The initial terror and stiffness that consumed Snotlout made progressive evaporation as the panting wolves caressed his sides with their soft fur. He realized that there was nothing for him to fear and fondled the wolves with a cooing voice.

"You're not so big and bad. It was all a misunderstanding."

The others laughed and smile with warmth. Fishlegs wrapped his arm around Ruffnut, Hiccup allowed Astrid to rest her head on his shoulder, while Tuffnut rubbed the brown wolf's belly with her tongue sticking out.

"Who's a good girl? You are."

Noises from the West interrupted the group's playtime and the wolves growled with resentment towards the source. Both humans and wolves crouched towards the edge of a ledge and down below, they saw a Wenja woman laying near a stream with her hands and legs tied while two Udam spearmen were discussing how they should cook their new catch. Hiccup was about to give orders to his friends when the wolves ran around the ledge and pounced on the unsuspecting Udam, killing them. With the Udam dead, they let out howls of triumph.

"Well done guys," complimented Snotlout.

The group walked towards the tied Wenja to cut off her binds. Everything seemed well until an arrow to the knee made Snotlout scream in agony.

"Snotlout!"

The sight and Astrid's shout provoked the others to draw their weapons and formed a circle around the injured and kneeling Snotlout. The wolves growled at the shadowed environment and sniffed the air to pinpoint the target. Suddenly, the owl dove down on a large bush and began to claw the Udam archer that was hiding in it. His shouts exposed his location to the wolves and allowed them to kill their friend's attacker.

"Way to go wolves!" Snotlout cheered. He exclaimed when Ruffnut pulled the arrow out from his knee. Tuffnut was quick in grabbing the special green leaves in his bag, chewing them, vomiting them to his hand, and smeared them all over Snotlout's knee. Snotlout winced at the pain and relaxed when it dissipated. Fishlegs cut the captured Wenja's binds and helped her in standing up.

"Thank you," she said.

With blood around their faces, the wolves sauntered towards the group and the first thing they did was licking Snotlout's knee and faces.

"Appreciate your quick reaction, guys," said Snotlout as he ruffled the wolves' fur. When the owl returned to Hiccup's arm, the Wenja woman could only gawk with astonishment in her eyes.

"You're, the Beast Masters."

When the first light of morning shone from the East, Hiccup turned to the preening owl and gazed at the wolves that were playing with his friends. He began to embrace what the Wenja would call them now.

"Yeah, I guess we are."

"Beast Masters! I knew your spirits are strong."

Tensay's voice made the group turned West and they all perceived the shaman walking towards them with his staff and a grin on his face.

"The first step of your journey has been taken," said Tensay. "It is time for the Wenja to walk together once again."

The group exchanged looks with one another as hope and confidence empowered the strength within. As the wolves howled and the owl screeched at the rising sun, a new day dawned for Oros and the Wenja.


	6. A New Home

A lone male dhole managed to tightened his jaws around the neck of a wounded deer, killing his quarry within seconds. When he was about to feed, a large piece of meat slumped on the dead deer's side. The dhole tilted his head with visible confusion. He sniffed the recent delivery and wondered how it got there. But hunger drove him to lick and devour it in several bites. Soon after, the dhole saw Tuffnut approaching him leisurely with both hands reached out. The human's presence threatened the canine and prompted him to yap and growl at the intruder. Tuffnut's lips began to let out shushing noises that glided into the dhole's ears. To the dhole, the sound was pacifying and encouraged him to rescind his aggression. The scent that the hands emitted also radiated with compassion and courage. Eventually, the growls became whimpers and the dhole licked the hands and stuck his tongue out when Tuffnut ruffled his amber fur.

"You're a good dhole aren't you boy? You are. You are."

Tuffnut's playful words and interaction brought warmth to his friends who were watching from the shadows of the cedar forest. Tensay chuckled when the wolves walked out to greet the dhole and played around with their newest comrade. The group also used the moment to skin the dead deer before them, knowing that they may need the resources it yielded soon enough. A bee buzzed around Ruffnut's hair and the latter tried to swat the insect away. But when she noticed a beehive on a tree not far from her, an idea shimmered in her mischievous mind.

* * *

"Brothers! Sisters! Here comes Tensay and the Beast Masters!"

The newly arrived Wenja woman's announcement surprised every Wenja who were lingering around the cave, Sayla in particular. They walked out to investigate and smiled when she saw her tribe's shaman and her new six friends walking alongside two wolves, a dhole, and an owl that soared down to perch on Hiccup's left arm.

"Sayla!"

"Tensay!"

Hiccup and his group smiled when Sayla and Tensay embraced one another in a hug. It was clear that the two had been friends for a long time. Sayla then fixed her gaze on the people the Wenja named Beast Masters, which filled her mind and heart with exhilaration.

"The animals answer your call," she said. "Soon more Wenja will come to see the Beast Masters. We also need to build a village here so that Wenja can live with us in their new home."

"Yes, yes," added Tensay with enthusiasm. "This place has strong energy. Good land for Wenja. Although, it's missing something…"

"Let me guess, it's missing huts?" Snotlout asked with a rather sarcastic voice.

"Not just huts," answered the shaman. "A sacred shaman hut to heal broken flesh and spirit."

"I'm… not sure if I can argue with that."

"Can't blame your deflation, Snotlout," Fishlegs remarked with a slight hint of mockery in his voice.

Hiccup looked into his bag and knew that he and his friends had gathered resources that they could apply in building a new village for the Wenja. As all six of them exchanged smiles, they turned to their tribesmen who were filled with hope and excitement.

"Where can we start?"

* * *

For hours, Hiccup's group and the Wenja worked tirelessly in building huts and tents around the cave. They had plenty of alder wood, slate flints, and reeds, along with skins from animals that they harvested throughout their journey. When the sun was at its peak, Sayla prayed thanks to the spirits for the completion of her new hut that was built near the cave. She wiped the tears of joy from her face as she entered her new home with bags filled with her belongings. Before the sun could set in Oros, Tensay invited several other Wenja to dance in front of his newly constructed hut, chanting and thanking the strength that the spirits gave them. The rising smoke and the glimmering light of campfire did not go unnoticed by other Wenja that were wandering near the village. Hiccup's group and the Wenja waved a welcome to the newcomers as they settled in their new home. Stars shimmered across the night sky as Hiccup and his friends decided to decorate the cave with personal tents for each of them to sleep under and paintings on the walls. Sayla, Tensay, and the other Wenja blessed the Beast Masters' home with flowers and sprinklings of water, praying that it would remain strong.

* * *

"It's a start, Hiccup," Astrid stated as she wrapped her left arm around her husband's waist and joined him in seeing the new Wenja village prospering with resonating songs and dances. Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the Twins were dining on roasted bharal meat around a campfire they built before the cave's entrance alongside the wolves and the dhole.

"True, but we can always improve in the future."

"Chief, I think we should try not to think too much about the future and enjoy the present."

Hiccup thought about what Snotlout told him and allowed some burden to drift from his head as his shoulders loosened and relaxed, much to Snotlout's contentment.

"That's the Hiccup I want to see."

Astrid's ears soon caught Fishlegs and the Twins whispering some things to each other, and the trio at times giggled with sheer wittiness.

"You guys want to open up the discussion?"

"We would like to, A," said Tuffnut. "However, it's a surprise."

"Productive or disastrous?" Astrid asked again.

"A bit of both," answered Fishlegs quite nervously. "You will know it when you see it."

The combined suspicion of Hiccup, Astrid, and Snotlout was broken off when Sayla approached the group with a smile on her face.

"More Wenja has come to our village," she announced with joy. "They have come because of you, the Beast Masters. Before all of you came, I was hiding alone. Now, I can walk outside with courage I thought I have lost."

"It's the least we can do, Sayla," assured Ruffnut as she petted the dhole by her side.

"Not to mention Wenja together is strong," Tuffnut proclaimed with pride and a clenched fist.

"Yeah, no one will want to mess with us and our beasts."

Snotlout's boast caused a frown to conquer Sayla, which brought concern to the group.

"I fear that the Udam might attack us soon," she said. "They will see our growing numbers as a threat."

Hiccup took this as a sign to walk to Sayla and placed his hand on her right shoulder.

"We will show the Udam that Wenja cannot and will not break easily."

The guarantee in his voice allowed confidence to return to Sayla, and her growing smile proved that. Astrid beamed at Hiccup's counsel as Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the Twins stood up in support as the dhole and the wolves howled to the stars, promising to overcome any obstacle in their way.


	7. Udam Attack

Hiccup and Astrid snuggled one another underneath their tent with affectionate smiles in their faces. Fishlegs and Ruffnut were also holding each other in their sleep while Snotlout had the wolves laid around him and Tuffnut enveloped the dhole in an affable embrace. As for the owl, she was snoozing inside a stone hollow that could only be achieved with human craftsmanship. The torches within the cave brought supplementary warmth through the crisp night and the brightness of their flames never bothered the group during their slumber. For the time, all was well.

The sun had risen in the East when Hiccup rubbed his eyes open with a yawn. Astrid was still at peace in her sleep and he knew that it would be a terrible idea if she was disturbed. With a silent notion, the young chieftain stretched his arms and torso before he stood up and stretched his legs to avoid physical constrains. Hiccup sauntered to the nearby waterfall for a morning drink as the light of dawn bathed his entire body. After he took his refreshments, he sighted Sayla and a Wenja spearman standing by the outskirts of the village with their eyes gazing intently at the eastern horizon. The sight perplexed Hiccup as he strolled past the other huts to greet them.

"Morning, Sayla," he greeted her. "What is it?"

"One of our hunters returned before sunrise," Sayla responded with an alarmed look on her face. "She said that a large group of Udam is heading this way, to our village."

Concern started to take over Hiccup as he prepared to brandish the knife that was strapped onto his belt.

"An attack is coming." Sayla's nod confirmed his unease as she clenched one of the ears on her necklace. "But this time, the Wenja are ready to fight back!"

Her furious hiss dissipated into fear when the Wenja spearman ran past her and Hiccup. The pair saw the spearman charging towards an Udam clubman before he stabbed the latter in the neck. However, the Wenja failed to notice a second, larger Udam warrior who crushed his skull into a bloodied pulp with one swift swing of his bone club.

"Ull!"

Hiccup did not have the time to react to Sayla's scream for the sight of the murdered Wenja caused fury to take over his body and made him rush towards the attacker. With his knife in hand, Hiccup yelled a battle cry to meet his adversary, only to be stopped when Ull's hands caught his shoulders with a tight grasp. The squeezing grip forced Hiccup to drop his knife as he gained a clear look at the Udam leader.

He towered over an average human with brute muscles and blood-red paint blotching parts of his body. He wore braces, greaves, and a breastplate of bones while his torso was draped with a cape made of bear skin. His most noticeable traits, however, were the bright red scars that tarnished a sizeable portion of his face. Ull let out a rasping growl as his piercing blue eyes stared at the squirming Hiccup.

"Softblood Wenja cannot stay. Leave now," he growled with a curdling voice. "Or you die!"

The weight of the punch threw Hiccup to the ground, forcing him to groan in his daze as he watched Ull retrieving his club from the corpse of the Wenja he just killed and stomped away from the village.

"Kill them all!"

Ull's distant yet distorted yells rang in Hiccup's ears, but he sluggishly regained his bearings when Astrid and Sayla pulled him back on his feet.

"Are you alright?" Astrid asked with distress. Hiccup placed his left hand on his forehead and gave his wife a nod as well as a thumbs up when he stabilized himself and retrieved his knife from the ground. He then saw his four friends and their animal companions rushing to his side with several Wenja who had armed themselves. Most of them were intimidated when they saw at least two dozen Udam in the distance cheering with their weapons in hand.

"Oh, this is gonna suck," Snotlout remarked with anxiety.

"Are you sure we can win this?" asked Fishlegs. "There's more Udam than us you know."

"Numbers will not matter!" Astrid responded with a firm voice. "We must protect our village at all costs!"

Hiccup nodded in agreement as he led his friends back to the Wenja village in preparation for the upcoming battle.

* * *

Sayla and Tensay ushered the children and non-fighters to Hiccup's cave as they and a few others stood guard at the entrance. Hiccup was able to retrieve his bow and quiver as he, Astrid, the Twins, and the other Wenja archers took their positions in the rear. Fishlegs and Snotlout armed themselves with clubs before standing together with the Wenja clubmen and spearmen at front. At least twelve Udam clubmen rushed towards the village with battle cries and clubs in hand as Fishlegs and Snotlout led their forces to meet their adversaries. Fishlegs' massive bulk allowed him to charge through the invaders' ranks and tackled one to the earth. Snotlout and the other Wenja used the opportunity to take on the dazed Udam. Spears and arrow flew to the battlefield, injuring two Wenja and killing three others. An arrow landed near Fishlegs' foot as the wolves and the dhole sprinted past their human allies to maul some of the Udam archers and spearmen. Before the surviving Udam could fight the animals, Hiccup and his regiments unleashed a rain of arrows and spears that slew the spearmen and archers. The wolves and the dhole drenched their muzzles with blood as more yells and screams could be heard from the East. Reinforcements were coming and the canines ran back to the village as Fishlegs and the Snotlout realized what was happening.

"Fall back! Fall back!"

Snotlout's command encouraged the surviving Wenja to retreat deeper into the village as more Udam revealed themselves from the forest. Hiccup and Astrid instructed the others to empty their quiver until they killed all the Udam archers and ran out of arrows. They then switched to spears and clubs to fight the remaining spearmen and clubmen head-on. Hiccup and Astrid utilized their spears in covering one another as Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the Twins bludgeoned every Udam that tried to kill them while the wolves and the dhole made sure that the dead remained dead. One stealthy Udam spearman was about to throw his spear at Astrid, but the owl swooped from the sky and used her beak to give the Udam a pecking distraction. The Udam waved his spear to the owl in an attempt to ward her off and failed to dodge a spear that flew from Sayla's hand and sliced through his neck.

Tuffnut thrust his spear through the chest of a dying Udam as the Wenja looted the corpses of their fallen enemies. Hiccup and Astrid managed to find Sayla after she had finished speaking with a Wenja archer. Her face was smeared with blood though they knew that it was not hers.

"The Udam had made camp on the other side of the great river," she told the couple. "You must burn it along with the bone trees they made."

"What about you, Sayla?" asked Astrid.

"I will stay here to protect our brothers and sisters. Go Hiccup! Go Astrid! Show the Udam the strength of the Wenja!"

Hiccup nodded to Sayla and Astrid before turning to the village.

"Fishlegs! Snotlout! Tuff! Ruff!"

The four hurried when the chieftain called out their names.

"What is it, Chief?" Fishlegs inquired.

"The Udam's camp is located East of the great river. You guys want to make sure it's not theirs anymore?"

"You got it, Hiccup!" agreed Snotlout.

"Oh yeah!"

"My brother and I seconded!"

Hiccup and Astrid smiled at one another as they led their group and their animal companions to victory against the Udam forces.

* * *

Upon crossing the great river, the group saw three Wenja clubmen killing three Udam archers in the distance. However, a fourth Udam was taking cover behind a red cedar with a small object emitting green fume. Before the Wenja could reach him, the Udam threw the object towards them before running East. The object shattered upon crashing before the Wenja and the green fume swelled around them. Hiccup at first thought that it was some kind of poison since the Wenja were coughing and tried not to inhale it by covering their mouths and noses. However, dread crept around him and his group when the Wenja started to laugh like maniacs before abruptly attacking one another.

"What the hell is that stuff?" whispered Snotlout.

"Poisonous gas that can make people turn against each other," Fishlegs whispered back with fear in his voice.

"Hazardous," murmured Tuffnut.

"Unless we somehow use it against the enemy," added Ruffnut.

The three Wenja continued to club each other until they started to choke, gasp, and fell dead. When the gas dissipated, the group cautiously walked towards the bodies and closed their fallen comrades' eyes before uttering their farewells. They then looted the dead Udam and continued their march.

Hiccup spotted the Udam camp situated on the large ledge of a bluff. Astrid tapped her husband's shoulder and pointed her finger to the three manmade leafless trees that were planted on different corners of the camp, and each of them was adorned with bones and yak skulls. Hiccup knew that they were the bone trees that Sayla was referring to. The group also saw three Udam guarding the camp and allowed the wolves and the dhole to race towards them and kill their intended victims. Hiccup then took the lead in investigating the camp and sighed knowing that they have neutralized its only inhabitants. All six of them then looted the camp of all its valuables before setting all of it ablaze. Just as the fire started to grow, Ruffnut heard chatters coming from the North and saw the five Udam that made them. She noticed that they were close to one another and made a mischievous snicker when she brandished a hand-sized sack from her bag, wrapped in animal hide and humming with buzzing sounds.

"Incoming!"

Her shout alerted her group as she flung the sack towards the unsuspecting Udam. When the sack plummeted to the ground, hundreds of bees swarmed out and around the screaming Udam as they desperately tried to swat the insects away. The sight marveled Hiccup's group, especially the Twins and Fishlegs.

"It worked better than I thought it would be," proclaimed Tuffnut as he shed a fake tear.

"Sweetheart, you're a genius!" Ruffnut blushed at Fishlegs' praise and got redder when he picked her up and spun her around before kissing her.

"That's your surprise? A bee bomb?"

"Correct, Snotlout," she said. "We used smoke and fire to calm the bees and placed honey inside the sack, luring them inside, and kept them in my bag until the time is right."

"I have to admit, that is a productive surprise," Astrid said with sincere acknowledgment.

"Just make sure that the bees don't sting anyone in our tribe."

"Of course, H," assured Tuffnut. "We only use them against anyone who threatens us."

The surviving bees buzzed into the wild as the Udam collapsed and died from the venomous stings. As fire razed the camp and the bone trees, Hiccup felt and the given task was completed.

* * *

Hiccup, Fishlegs, and Snotlout carried the three dead Wenja back to the village as its people separated the dead Wenja from the Udam with Tensay overseeing the process. Ravens started to perch on the huts as they waited for a potential meal. The group placed the dead Wenja alongside their fallen brothers and sisters.

"Thank you, Beast Masters," said the shaman. "Thank you for bringing them home."

Hiccup could only nod with a solemn smile. The sounds of sobbing and prayers along with the sight of blood staining the earth and leaking from the dead Wenja ached his heart and those of his group. He and Astrid then turned their attention to Sayla who was bidding her farewell to a Wenja woman who had succumbed to her wounds. Sayla clenched her fists until she realized the return of her friends.

"Did you kill Ull?"

"We killed many Udam," Astrid replied. "But we didn't find Ull in the camp."

It was not the response that Sayla expected as she tried to cover her left ear.

"He must have returned to the northern mountains," she said. "Many Wenja died today!"

Sayla then emitted a harrowing scream that flew into the ears and hearts of Hiccup's group. They could feel the sorrow and the anger it exuded and tried not to argue with her. When she was done, Sayla saw a dead Udam sprawled on the ground and lunged towards it so that she could use her knife to cut his ear off.

"Sayla, many Udam died today!" insisted Hiccup. "The Wenja are still standing! We are still alive!"

Tears gushed from Sayla's eyes as she held the severed Udam ear in her bloodied hands and stared at Hiccup and Astrid.

"I need Ull's ear!" she hissed. "He will never stop until all Wenja are dead!"

Hiccup had no intention to counter Sayla's argument. Instead, he and Astrid held Sayla's hand gently despite the blood and detached ear.

"In time, he will pay for the blood he spilled."

The statement perplexed Sayla as a mixture of hope and vengeance swelled within her. As the trio stood up, Tensay and the surviving Wenja gathered around the Beast Masters with smiles of faith on their faces. Tensay clasped his left fist before placing him on his right shoulder.

"For the Wenja."

Other members of the tribe mimicked and repeated the shaman's salute as they pledged their allegiance to Hiccup's group. The wolves and the dhole howled to reinforce the bond they shared. The sight of the unity lifted a great burden from Sayla as it reminded her of her tribe's resilience. Ull tried to kill the Wenja once and he failed. He then tried again and failed once more. The Wenja were strong together and with the Beast Masters on their side, she knew that the fight for Oros was just beginning.

"For the Wenja."


	8. Vision of Ice

As the sun made its descent in the West, Tensay had finished uttering the funeral rites for the fallen Wenja after they were buried not far from the village. Those who survived either mourned in silence or wiped the tears that dripped from their eyes. Sayla could only clench her ear necklace with closed eyes as anguish and anger filled her heart. The wolves and the dhole whimpered in their grief while the owl gazed on, knowing that the spirits of the dead Wenja had walked free. Tuffnut and Snotlout stood without saying a word, Ruffnut allowed Fishlegs to wrap his left arm around her, and Astrid held her hand with Hiccup's. The young chieftain allowed minute tears to slip away, for the funeral reminded him of someone he looked up to for much of his life. He and his friends just knew the Wenja of Oros for a couple of days at least, but the bond of the tribe ran deeper than just mere acquaintanceship.

* * *

"Great thinking on crafting the bee bombs, guys." Fishlegs and the Twins swelled with pride upon hearing Hiccup's compliment. It was nighttime and the group was sitting around a campfire in front of their cave holding the aforementioned bee bombs in their hands. None of the humans felt disconcerted with the bees' presence since the smoke from the blaze had pacified their aggressive nature. "They can be very useful when large numbers of Udam are together."

"Yeah, can't wait to make them scream in terror all over again."

"You said it, brother."

The Twins gave each other a high-five as Snotlout took a bite out from a salmon that had been roasted and skewered through a wooden stick.

"We also need to be aware of those Udam poison bombs that make people go berserk and kill each other," he said with a mouthful.

"Agreed," said Fishlegs. "Quick time reaction is our best chance against those weapons."

"Building up immunity towards them is also the key," Astrid added. "Maybe if we capture one living Udam and quest-"

"Whoa, whoa, got to stop you there, A."

"Is there a problem, Snotlout?"

Snotlout finished swallowing his meal so he could continue his objection.

"Catching an Udam is one thing. Getting him to talk about his tribe's weaponry is another matter entirely seeing how all of them prefer to kill and eat us."

"He's got a point," chimed in Fishlegs.

"An adequate argument, Snotlout," Hiccup declared. "Though we shouldn't give up on it if the fate of the living Wenja are at stake."

Hiccup and his group then looked solemnly at the campfire with blank stares in their eyes, uncertain of what their next move in defeating the Udam would be.

"If only there is a way to know the Udam a bit more without making them kill us," stated Tuffnut.

"There might be."

A new voice surprised Hiccup's group as they turned around to see Sayla standing close to them.

"What did you say, Sayla?" Astrid asked.

"Tensay wants to see all of you in his hut."

Hiccup was the first to enter Tensay's hut. Even though it was during the dark of the night, the torches within gave light to the interior. Clay pots and baskets weaved from reeds were placed in the corners while bones and ornaments were hung from the ceiling with ropes. The group's main focus was on the shaman who had his back turned to them.

"Beast Masters. Come in."

As all six of them entered the hut, Hiccup cleared his throat to speak.

"What is it, Tensay?"

"Your spirits hunger," he said as he reached for something from a dark corner of the hut. "For another vision."

Hiccup's group could feel trifling queasiness in their stomachs when they realized the shaman's words and the objects he was retrieving. The leopard skulls were filled with blood again, and to the group's growing revulsion, they saw eyeballs floating on the surface.

"Are those, eyeballs?" inquired Ruffnut before she puffed out her cheeks.

"Udam eyeballs," Tensay answered. "Drink them and see through the eyes of the Udam."

All six of them exchanged glances of abhorrence, some greater than others. But Hiccup and Astrid knew that Tensay's concoction helped them in becoming the Beast Masters, and the new one before them could aid them in learning more about the Udam. With the pair leading the way, the other four closed their eyes and followed in gulping down the salty blood and eyeballs. They desired to vomit everything out, but their waning strength and the hazing world drove them to lay on the ground as all went black.

* * *

Hiccup and his friends woke up to find themselves in a ravine swathed with snow as fresh snowflakes drifted down from the stars.

"I swear, I need to say 'no' the next time Tensay asks me to drink blood," Snotlout remarked as he stood on his feet.

"It's rude to refuse a Shaman's gift, S," replied Tuffnut as he and Ruffnut helped Fishlegs up. The largest of the three expected shivers to course through his body, but the temperature around him felt normal.

"We're lucky this is a vision, otherwise we will have frostbites."

Astrid's ears picked up faint noises coming from the other side of the ravine and patted Hiccup to the direction her finger was pointing at. Hiccup heard it too and silently gestured to the others to follow him. Along their walk, they saw trees that had been stripped off of leaves, icicles hanging from the ledges of the ravine, and spikes of pure ice protruding from the earth. It did not take long for them to reach a clearing filled with Udam. The group was lucky that the Udam were oblivious to their presence as they looked around to see the opposing tribe standing and sitting with shivers while muttering things such as 'why do we keep dying?' to themselves. There were also Udam women breastfeeding their babies who kept on crying despite their mothers nourishing them.

"Do not touch the Stone Woman!"

The exclaim startled the group and to their shock, they saw Ull standing behind an altar that was sporting a stone idol sculpted to resemble an armless woman. Ull kept on repeating his warning with both hands reached out and eyes flooded with fear. This vision confounded Hiccup even further than the last one, and he ignored the Udam leader's admonitions as he slowly stretched his left hand to the Stone Woman. Before Hiccup's fingertips could touch the idol, a large blizzard manifested around the area, creating a white fog that blanketed everything in sight.

"Hiccup? What's going on?"

"Astrid? Guys?"

The blizzard died down and the group found themselves transported in a windswept encampment adorned with skeletons and bone trees decorated with animal skulls. What's more incredible was that all six of them were armed with white clubs that possessed bloodied spikes on them.

"Whoa," Ruffnut said with awe.

"Whoa indeed," agreed Tuffnut.

"Now this is something I want in the real world," Snotlout professed as he swung his club around with joy and all his might.

"Uhh, guys…"

Fishlegs' stammering was quick in warning his friends of the angry Udam that was running towards them from the distance. As the Udam prepared to attack, Hiccup swatted the club in his hand and sent the Udam flying before he shattered into ice. The young chieftain and his friends let their jaws hung open, for the outcome was incredulous and flabbergasting. But bafflement would have to wait as more Udam warriors could be heard shouting and seen sprinting to them. The group knew what they had to do and let out their battle cries as they dashed alongside one another.

"Take that! And that!"

"Wenja coming through!"

"Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi! Oi! Oi!"

Dozens of Udam crumbled as the group continued to bash their way through the snowy camp, brushing off the fact that the ground they were fighting on was red as blood. After destroying several dozen Udam in their path, Hiccup saw the Stone Woman idol at a much larger scale standing between a giant glacier and several Udam women, begging and praying for blessings. Suddenly, the earth shook and the Stone Woman carved its way through the glacier and the Udam women screamed in pain as they dissolved into ice. Hiccup's group could only watch as the vision just got more convoluted for them.

"So much for praying to their goddess," Fishlegs stated.

"It seems that the Stone Woman does not answer the cries of the Udam," added Astrid with a voice of uncertainty.

Despite what he saw and listened to, Hiccup led his friends forward through the path that the Stone Woman made within the glacier. As the group trekked between the walls of ice, they started to notice that the ground they were traversing was transforming slowly from bleak and red to green and fertile. Soon enough, a few more Udam revealed themselves along the path, but Astrid's swift reflexes dispatched them with ease. Before they realized it, a loud bang momentarily shook the world and it motivated the group on running through the path. It took a little while until they stopped at the sight of the Stone Woman cornered onto a wall of rock in a massive cave filled with flowers and icy statues of Udam frozen in submissive or frightened stances. Mystified, Hiccup's group slowly walked past the Udam statues and towards the Stone Woman. Once they were a few feet away from the idol's feet, Hiccup felt the urge to throw his club at the great effigy before turning to his friends.

"Everyone, prepare to throw your clubs at it."

Without hesitation, all six of them lifted their clubs above their heads and in unison, flung the weapons onto the Stone Woman. Upon colliding, the aftershock powdered the effigy into ice and threw Hiccup and his friends backward. They stiffened their bodies to prepare for the impact, but they felt nothing as all around them turned black.

* * *

Hiccup's group felt nausea overwhelming their heads and stomachs when they woke up to the light of Tensay's hut. Unable to carry the revulsion any longer, they turned around and expelled heaps of reeking green slime from their mouth to the floor that eventually combined into a massive puddle. The retching took seconds to finish and they all saw Tensay kneeling in front of them while inspecting the upchucked content.

"Strong drink," stated the shaman. "Too many Udam eyeballs, or too few."

Snotlout was unable to throw a jab since the biliousness took up much of his strength. Hiccup, however, was more fixated on his experience in the vision.

"We saw frozen Udam."

"Yes," Tensay replied with a nod as he stood up and picked up a vacant leopard skull as he searched the hut for more ingredients. "Trapped in ice. Sick and dying. The Udam begged the Stone Woman to protect them, but not anymore."

Hiccup helped his wife and his friends in regaining their stance as Tensay continued his investigation.

"So, can we…" Hiccup queried as he pointed to the direction of the hut's entrance.

"Oh, of course! Go and reclaim your strength, Beast Masters."

The group spared no second in walking out from the shaman's hut and relished the welcoming morning sunshine that they deserved.


	9. Splitting Up

"These berries are just what I need to sweeten the taste in my tongue."

"I'm with you on that, Fishy."

Fishlegs and Snotlout gorged themselves on the berries that Sayla and the other Wenja gatherers had amassed. The Twins calmly ate skewered fish that they were roasting on the campfire whilst Hiccup and Astrid feasted on a deer that the wolves brought down when they were experiencing their vision.

"Resting on this sunny day is just what we need after that battle with the Udam," said Tuffnut while leaning onto a rock behind him.

"Yup. Resting with little to no worries, brother," Ruffnut replied with agreement.

"We still have work to do, guys," Hiccup reminded them. "There are many other Wenja scattered across Oros. If we don't find them, the Udam or other kinds of trouble will."

"Hiccup is right."

Everyone turned their heads around to see Sayla who was holding a spear that only the Udam could craft.

"Two of our hunters and I killed an Udam not far from the village this morning. I took his ears and his weapon."

Astrid stood up to take a closer look at the spear. She noticed that it was slightly sharper, sturdier, and had a coloration that was darker than the spears the Wenja made.

"We will also need to strengthen our weapons if we wish to defeat Ull in the future," declared the chieftess as she handed the spear to Hiccup.

"I'm with Astrid. We have a lot of work to do."

"But before you go, you should know that there are some Wenja who can truly help in improving certain skills. Bring them back so our tribe can be strong again."

"We will, Sayla," assured Hiccup.

"Hiccup, there's something you should know."

Astrid's statement made Hiccup tilt his head with confusion.

"The Wenja are still weakened after the Udam attack. They will need their leader to look up to. The others and I will journey throughout Oros and find the remaining Wenja while you stay and help with what you can."

"Astrid, I…"

"No need to worry, Chief," Snotlout guaranteed as he stood up and patted Hiccup's shoulder. "We'll get back in one piece, and besides, there won't be a lot of mischiefs happening in our absence. You can count on us."

"This is probably one of the few times when I say that I'm with Snotlout."

"Fishlegs…"

"Relax, H," interrupted Tuffnut. "You can do this. We'll be back together before you know it."

"Cross our hearts and hope to die," Ruffnut added. "Although I might want to leave that last part out."

With the voices of many outweighing his, Hiccup exhaled and gave his wife and friends a nod of approval. Astrid smiled and kissed Hiccup on the lips as the others sauntered to the cave to prepare what they needed.

Hiccup, Sayla, and Tensay waved their five friends farewell as they left the village with the owl, the wolves, and the dhole accompanying them. The young chieftain whispered 'be safe' he turned back to see what can be improved in the village.

"Off to adventure!" proclaimed Snotlout as they crossed the great river.

"I sure hope that we know what we're doing."

"Nothing's gonna happen, sweetie." Ruffnut soothed her husband's worries away when her lips pecked his cheek. "We'll stay together no matter what."

* * *

"Keep running!"

Astrid's scream resonated through the forests as her group sprinted as fast as they could to outpace four massive, rampaging mammoths that trampled anything in their path.

"We can't shake them off!" shouted Tuffnut.

"And they'll crush all of us at once if we stick together!" Ruffnut added.

"What? No!"

"Ruff's right, Fishlegs!" insisted Astrid. "I don't like it either, but we'll regroup when we lose the mammoths!"

"Then good luck to us all!" Snotlout exclaimed.

With the decision made, the group split up to escape the pursuers. The ploy succeeded as each mammoth decided to focus on certain targets. Snotlout and the wolves sprinted north, Fishlegs darted northeast, the Twins and the dhole dashed east, whilst Astrid and the owl headed south.


	10. The Two Horn Rhinoceros

Birds flew from the trees with chitters of panic as they scattered through the air in a massive flock. The owl that was soaring behind them was the least of their concern, for nothing should stand in the way of a charging mammoth. Astrid sprinted through the fields and forests, hoping to find a break for her to escape her pursuer. Deer, bharals, pigs, and hares scampered to all directions whilst small trees and shrubs fell or flattened under the mammoth's feet. Astrid's blue eyes eventually noticed a cave up ahead and seized her chance of seeking shelter in it. Due to its small size, the entrance was unable to fit the mammoth's head, and the beast responded to the situation by releasing a thunderous bellow of fury. The intensity of the noise almost impelled Astrid to cover her ears, and the mammoth emitted a guttural rumble before it turned around and left the cave. Certain that she was safe, the perspiring Astrid sighed deeply as the owl glided from the entrance and landed by her side.

"You should try that without flying," Astrid said with a laugh as she reached into her bag and fed the bird some meat. The sound of the distant trumpet meant that the mammoth was still not very far.

"Well, I don't think we should go there, not with that beast still around."

When a gust of wind flowed past her back and blonde hair, Astrid turned her head around and saw darkness. She then pulled a club from her belt and set it alight with animal fat. The fire shone to her and the owl a long yet wide tunnel decorated with stalagmites on the floor and stalactites on the ceiling. Astrid and the owl looked at one another as the latter flew in as if she wished to lead the human. Without hesitation, Astrid followed the owl in their cavernous journey.

* * *

Exploring the cave was not a walk in the woods. There were some twists and turns, as well as uneven terrain that made Astrid walk down and up from time to time. She would often hear the dripping drops of water, echoing and serenading her in the bleak and empty environment. Whenever Astrid caught up to the owl, the bird simply flew away and landed on a rock that was some steps ahead of her. Along the way, Astrid also discovered old handprints on the cave walls, along with cave paintings of mountains with trees, as well as Wenja hunting animals such as elks and bears. She thought to herself if some Wenja used to live in this cave after the Udam attacked their old village. Perhaps this path could lead her to them.

It was not very long when Astrid and the owl noticed a glint of sunlight in the distance. The timing could not have been more perfect since flames had charred most of Astrid's club. With the light as her guide, she immediately extinguished her torch and followed the owl to freedom. Noon had arrived on Oros and the owl was the first to exit before she landed on a withered tree that stood in front of the cave. Astrid smiled when the sun's light and warmth bathed her body, a much-needed change from the cold and dark cave. As she sauntered to the tree to rest her arm on its trunk, an arrow landed on its bark and it barely grazed her side. Its abrupt appearance startled Astrid and made the owl fly. She then looked south and saw three people approaching her with bows in their hands. Astrid grimaced and when she pulled the arrow from the tree, the leader of the strangers stood in front of her.

She was a tall woman with greying hair, a forehead tattoo that resembled Sayla's, along with scars on her left cheek, left shoulder, and right arm. Astrid could tell that the woman's clothing was made of wolf skin since she had a wolf's head as a shoulder pad, and she also wore leather stockings, a necklace made of bear claws and bones, bracelet of clams and whiteshells, as well as a quiver strapped with an antler of a stag. The woman merely gently surveyed Astrid before she grabbed her arm and inspected the whiteshell bracelet she bore.

"You are Wenja," spoke the woman before she released her grip from Astrid. "I am Jayma."

"Astrid," she replied bluntly. Jayma then took a few paces back and regrouped with the other two Wenja who were clothed in deer skin.

"This one is young and loud," she told her companions as a grin formed on her face. "With big feet like a mammoth's."

Astrid's jaws dropped at the comment as the two Wenja laughed and stomped the ground with a mocking fashion. She could feel her face fuming with anger, but she was wise to keep her temper in check.

"We have been tracking the Two Horn Rhinoceros for two days, and you scared him away."

Astrid scoffed at Jayma's words and threw the arrow before the latter's feet.

"Two days to find one rhinoceros? I can finish this hunt a lot faster."

Jayma smiled at Astrid's boast as she retrieved the arrow.

"You have big words, Mammoth Feet." Astrid was completely unamused at the nickname Jayma had given her. She could imagine Snotlout and the Twins calling her that every day once they acquired the message. "Go on, show us how to track."

Astrid maintained her frown when the Wenja hunters laughed. She knew that they would not take her seriously until she had proven herself.

"If you find the Two Horn Rhinoceros," Jayma then ceased her ordinary speech so she could whisper, "walk softly."

After rolling her eyes with exasperation, Astrid equipped her bow and arrow before she walked past the huntress and her snickering companions. The chieftess was eager to show them how to hunt swiftly and properly.

* * *

With the sun on the back of her neck, Astrid traversed the forest with the owl flying above her head.

"We'll teach Jayma that hunting is more than just patience," she said with confidence. Within several minutes, she saw a trail of vegetation that had been beaten by something too large to be a human or a pig. Astrid then noticed that some of the trees had their barks stripped off and they sported the smell of urine and mud. Soon enough, she saw a patch of dirt that bore footprints that were smaller than a mammoth's. Astrid smirked knowing that she found the clues she needed along with the fact that the wind was blowing towards her.

While following the tracks, Astrid made sure that she gathered enough wood from alder and maple trees to craft arrows to hunt an animal as large as a rhinoceros. But Jayma referred the individual she was hunting as the Two Horn Rhinoceros, so its appearance would be different than other rhinos. The tracks led Astrid further south and she could feel the weather growing more humid with every step. She then saw a tree stump with gouges on its trunk and a small puddle of blood near its base. Astrid places a finger on the puddle and licked it before spitting it back to the ground.

"Still quite fresh."

The chieftess soon realized that the blood puddle was not the only one of its kind. More could be found downhill, and they allowed Astrid to trace it to its source. The blood trail led her towards a large lake that was located next to a small, uninhabited village. Signs of it being uninhabited was pretty clear. The body of a dead Wenja was sprawled in its center, enticing vultures and ravens. As Astrid approached to investigate, a female leopard jumped out from the shrubs, chasing the other scavengers to take flight. The feline then turned to the Wenja body and began her feast. Astrid decided to use this moment as an opportunity to make a new friend. She made sure that the shadow of the red cedars concealed her before she tossed a piece of meat from her bag right in front of the leopard. The thud distracted the feline, who in turn sniffed the new object and started to devour it. With her body crouched, Astrid slowly paced towards the leopard who took notice of the human's presence and began to growl and snarl out of instinct. Astrid then reached her right hand out as gently as she could while making a shushing sound simultaneously. Her warm scent and soothing noise caused the leopard to lower her guard and her hissing snarl relegated into soft purrs. As Astrid's palm made contact with the leopard's snout, the feline nuzzled her entire head against her hand, and Astrid started to pet and ruffle her newfound friend with cordial laughs.

"Who's a good leopard? You are."

The leopard mewed at the compliment as she began to caress her body and tail around Astrid. The human giggled at the fur's tickling sensation, but she was quite fast in retaining her composure when she looked around the destroyed village and closed the dead Wenja's eyes. She knew that the Two Horn Rhinoceros caused this and it must be put down so it could never inflict more harm.

Astrid and the leopard strolled through the shores of the lake together as they saw a small island separated from the greater landmass by shallow water. A cacophony of great bellows prompted Astrid and the leopard to halt their movements. Soon enough, they witnessed a rhinoceros covered in a coat of woolly and shaggy brown fur running towards them. The pair dodged the rhinoceros just in time and to their confusion, the beast just kept on running. Just then, a deeper bellow could be heard coming from the small island. Standing on top of the hill was another rhinoceros, but unlike the first one, its fur was orange and creamy, and it has a large Y-shaped horn at the tip of its snout. As it snorted and pawed the earth with its feet, Astrid perceived the broken arrows on its back and she knew that this was the Two Horn Rhinoceros that Jayma was talking about.

She proceeded to nock an arrow from her quiver and drew it back before launching it at the rhinoceros' shoulder. The beast cried in pain and angrily charged down at the human. Astrid was about to jump into the water when the leopard rushed in and leaped onto the rhinoceros' back, latching her claws onto its thick hide. The Two Horn Rhinoceros attempted to throw the feline off by bucking and spinning, and the distraction permitted Astrid to fire more arrows on her quarry. She knew that the leopard could not hold for long, so she made sure that every shot count. Her twelfth arrow managed to strike the rhinoceros' head, and the injury caused the beast to stagger and moan with exhaustion. Blood leaked from the fresh wounds and as the leopard jumped off, the Two Horn Rhinoceros collapsed with a final breath. Fatigue caused Astrid to pant moderately as the leopard approached and nuzzled her human friend. Astrid pet her companion as a whistling sound was heard from behind. She turned around to see Jayma and her hunters walking towards her with hints of admiration in their faces. The huntress knelt at the slain rhinoceros and then stood up to make eye contact with Astrid.

"Good hunt, Mammoth Feet." Despite the praise, the nickname still irritated Astrid. "Though we tired the beast and gave you an easier kill."

Astrid was about to mutter incoherently when the owl screeched from the sky and landed on the rhinoceros' corpse. Jayma gazed at the owl and the leopard that was standing next to her blonde acquaintance, which made her realize who Astrid was.

"You are the Beast Master."

Astrid's brief nod confirmed the huntress' guess.

"The Wenja have made a new village in the West. I suggest we go there."

"We will, Mammoth Feet. But first, we must save what we can from the hunt. Our tribe will need them. And soon, I will teach you how to become a master hunter."

Jayma's words made Astrid smile fleetingly as they prepared their knives to skin the Two Horn Rhinoceros. It had been a laborious day for the chieftess, and she wondered how her friends handled their respective predicaments in the land of Oros.


	11. Blood of Oros

An earsplitting scream made a trio of patrolling Udam clubmen jump out of shock. The sound came from the other side of the hill they were adjacent to and the warriors readied their weapons for what was to come. To their surprise was Fishlegs who was sprinting straight towards them. Both Udam were confused at first but they decided to yell their battle cries and rushed towards the intruder. Just as they were about to swing their clubs, Fishlegs spread his arms and knocked the two Udam to the ground. Despite the assault, they returned on their feet and expected their adversary to be in front of their faces. Fishlegs just kept on running, which puzzled both of the Udam.

"I would move out of the way if I were you!"

Bafflement riddled the Udam's mind when they heard Fishlegs' shout. Just then, the ground beneath them shook and a colossal bellow boomed from the southwest. They turned around and saw an angry mammoth dashing and trampling at full speed. A swat from its trunk sent one Udam flying as the other tumbled east with a panicking voice as the thundering mammoth gave chase.

Fishlegs could hear that his pursuer was diverted to another target and made sure that he was of preferable distance by running until he felt safe. He then placed his right hand on the trunk of a red cedar, sweating and panting with great exhaustion.

"That has to be, a record, for the longest run for a mammoth," he said whilst gasping simultaneously. A river not far ahead prompted Fishlegs to stroll towards it and slurped its water to quench his thirst. The taste refreshed his senses and slowly restored the strength he spent from his escape. When drinking was finished, Fishlegs turned left and saw a wooden bridge that connected two great rock formations. Inquisitiveness had always been Fishlegs' notable attribute, but he was uncertain if Wenja or Udam built that bridge. Aware of the risk, he placed his right hand on the club attached to his belt and moved in to investigate.

Fishlegs began his walk on the bridge when he saw that there were pots and totems placed near the entrance of a cave on the other side, and he sighed knowing that they were the result of Wenja craftsmanship. Once he finished his crossing, he entered the cave and observed that its floor was unusually covered in wood. Thinking for a possible explanation, Fishlegs failed to hear the cracking sound and abruptly fell into a pit with a loud holler.

The rough landing made Fishlegs groan with hindrance. A coarse cackle prompted him to look up as he saw a man standing on the ledge and felt a sprinkle of reeking water on his face. Fishlegs gagged with disgust and used his hands as cover from the shower of urine.

"Stupid Udam," said the man as he finished his exploit.

"I'm Wenja!" Fishlegs shouted as he wiped the urine off.

"No!" shouted the man back. "I am the last Wenja! Your face is covered in dirt and piss, just like Udam! Bye, Piss Man!"

When the man walked away, Fishlegs was fuming with anger and tried to climb up the pit's steep slope.

"Hey! You can't just leave me here! It's crazy! My friends…"

Fishlegs slammed his fist on the slope when he realized that the crazy man must have left or would not listen to his pleas. But he refused to be trapped like a helpless animal and tried to find a way out. Fishlegs walked around and collected wood and bones that were scattered around the pit. He then saw a pile of logs at one corner of the pit and noticed that there were openings between them. As he pulled the logs away, they revealed a hole that led into another cave. The sight of the water at the bottom allowed Fishlegs to breathe with relief and jumped straight in. Wet, somewhat dark, and mildly freezing are the apt descriptions for the water as Fishlegs climbed out from the pool and stood with meek shivers. He wasted no time in grabbing his club and set it alight with animal fat to illuminate his new environment. The fire's heat brought soothing warmth to Fishlegs and it encouraged him to find another way out. A low yet raspy growl made him freeze with anxiety and he had a feeling that it was not his stomach.

"Hello? Somebody there?"

Fishlegs' questions echoed around the cave walls when a pair of bright yellow light emerged not far away. He pointed his torch to that direction and revealed a male wolverine snarling with anger. Fishlegs jumped with a yelp as the animal swiped his paws in the air and yapped at the human. The swiping of the torch seemed to only aggravate the wolverine, so Fishlegs must think of something else if he did not wish to be torn to pieces. Just then, he remembered the talent that was bestowed upon him and his friends and grabbed a piece of meat from his bag. The wolverine licked his mouth when he saw and smelled the meat and stood with bafflement when the human threw it before his nose. After a few sniffs, the wolverine found nothing suspicious about the meat and decided to feed on it with leisure. Fishlegs exhaled sharply before he placed his torch on the floor and crouched towards the wolverine with a slow and gentle pace.

As the wolverine finished and swallowed his meal, he noticed that the human had put down his weapon and was reaching his hands out. The wolverine let out a low growl and sniffed the approaching hands. Within seconds, Fishlegs shushed the wolverine and loosened his muscles to elaborate his passive temperament. Cordiality was the first thing the wolverine felt as he gradually allowed his twitching nose to touch the human's palms and licked them with tenderness. Fishlegs giggled at the sensation as he gently pet the wolverine. The wolverine then walked up to Fishlegs and licked his face to receive the playful chuckles that made all concerns go away.

"That tickles! Please, slow down!"

The bond was sealed. Fishlegs and the wolverine formed an unlikely friendship in the most unlikely of places. With nothing left to fear, Fishlegs stood up and retrieved his torch to see any opening for him and his new companion.

"How long have you been down here?"

The wolverine tilted his head with a chirp before he placed his paw on Fishlegs' foot and walked towards the opposite direction. Perplexed, Fishlegs followed the wolverine as the latter led him to a pile of bleaching human bones, most likely those of Udam.

"Must have been difficult, waiting for your next meal to come down."

Whirrs was the wolverine's only replies. Fishlegs took a closer look at the area and saw something of peculiar shape latched on the ground. The object was made of bones with ropes looped around it. When he picked it up with his right hand, Fishlegs examined it closer and realized that it had three sharp curved ends like hooked claws with more ropes wrapped around it. He then looked up and saw a ledge not as high as the hole he fell into. An idea came to his head as Fishlegs looked back at the tool on his hand. He then extinguished his torch and placed it on its belt before he spun the rope of the tool. The rope grew longer with every twirl and at the right moment, Fishlegs threw the tool onto the ledge. The claws grappled with a clank.

"Yes! We're getting out of here!"

The excitement caused the wolverine to wag his tail with joy as he climbed onto Fishlegs' back and held on as the human climbed up the wall and reached the ledge. The first step towards freedom was taken and Fishlegs and the wolverine laid on their backs with a laughter of elation. They then smiled when they noticed a light coming from the top of the cave that was littered with more ledges.

Fishlegs threw and climbed up the grappling claw with the wolverine holding onto his back. After a few minutes of ascent, they reached the top and slid down the grassy hill. When they reached the bottom, the duo inhaled the sweet, fresh air and basked at the warm sunlight with relishing grins.

"You must be delighted to escape the darkness after all this time."

The wolverine licked Fishlegs' cheek as a mark of gratitude. When Fishlegs turned right, he saw the rock formations and the bridge that connected them. He grimaced at the sight as he prepared his singed club with the wolverine flanking him in their return to the place that was their temporary prison.

When the duo reached the bridge, they saw no one on the other side but they heard struggling noises within the cave. Fishlegs and the Wolverine recognized the voice and decided to confront the crazy Wenja man. Just as they slowly crossed the bridge, they witnessed him climbing out from the pit.

"Udam. Stupid arm eaters."

Fishlegs tilted his head with confusion when he heard the man's complaint. Then, he saw what the man was talking about. He was literally missing his left arm, which brought him a memory of someone he knew in the past.

As the man stood up, the sudden appearances of Fishlegs and the wolverine caused him to jump back and swiped the air with a purple crystalline shard on his right hand. Fishlegs was startled as well, though he could see that the man was rather old, with ragged clothes, a greying beard, and a bald head. The man pointed the shard at the two with determination until his eyes widened when he gained a clearer look at his former prisoner.

"You are not Udam."

Fishlegs smacked his face on his palm now that the man started to pick up the pieces. But then, the man unexpectedly began to inhale the scent that Fishlegs had. To him, it was both sour and familiar.

"Piss Man."

Furious at the nickname, Fishlegs hollered and pushed the man until he was backed up to the cave's entrance. The wolverine merely cackled at his friend's response.

"We're Wenja! We're Wenja!" pleaded the man as he showed the seashell bracelet on his arm. Satisfied with the response, Fishlegs released the quivering man. He also felt a bad sensation in him due to his action. The man was frightened, alone, and with one arm. Such a detrimental state was more than enough to make a person's sanity slipping.

"The Wenja are not dead?" the man asked with a hint of hope in his voice.

"Many are still alive," replied Fishlegs. "And they're not crazy like you."

"I am not crazy," the man retorted. "I am Wogah the crafter. I help Wenja."

After his introduction, Wogah picked up the shard he dropped during the scuffle. Fishlegs' eyes gleamed at the object's colors and translucence.

"Blood of Oros. Pretty and hard as stone."

Wogah then gently thumped the shard with his head thrice to prove his point. He then handed the shard to Fishlegs as he looked onto the bridge.

"Good material to make weapons and tools. But the Blood of Oros likes to hide from me."

Fishlegs looked at the shard on his hand before turning his sight to Wogah. Perhaps the one-armed crafter was not as crazy as he thought he was.

"Stay here. My friend and I will find the Blood of Oros for the Wenja."

The wolverine then walked up to Fishlegs and embraced his leg as Wogah smiled with optimism.

"You will find the Blood of Oros shining in the sun."

After he gave his advice, Wogah snatched the shard from Fishlegs' hand and hissed, "This one is mine."

Fishlegs merely rolled his eyes as he and the wolverine departed from the area to find the Blood of Oros.

As noon came, Fishlegs and the wolverine left the rock formation and reached a river. The wolverine simply swam across with no fear with Fishlegs following behind. When they reached the other side, Fishlegs jumped up and down to shake the water in his ears whilst the wolverine merely shook his fur and became dry in seconds. Fishlegs briefly gathered a few reeds and slate flints when he heard chatters coming from behind a hill North of him. The wolverine sniffed the air and growled upon recognizing the smell. In response, Fishlegs prepared his bow and arrow as they both skulked towards the hill.

Two Udam, a clubman and a spearman, were feasting on a wolverine that they just killed and skinned. Surrounding them were stone dolmens that acted as old Wenja burial sites. They were old because vines and branches around them were unattended and started to cover the stones without restrictions. This made the Udam believe that the place was unoccupied for a long time, thus a suitable location to camp. The correction came when an arrow pierced straight through the spearman's skull and a live wolverine pounced on the clubman to tear his throat open with his teeth. Fishlegs used one of the dolmens as cover and emerged from it when the wolverine made sure that both Udam were dead. As the wolverine feasted on the corpses, Fishlegs looted their possessions and started to look around the dolmens.

"It's a good thing the Udam has not desecrated this place, otherwise the spirit of the dead Wenja cannot rest for good."

The wolverine merely chirped at Fishlegs' statement. Fishlegs peered on the dolmens and noticed that they were decorated with paintings of animals. When he examined the dolmen in the southwest, he noticed a strange light piercing through the holes between the branches. Wogah's advice rang through his head as he swiftly set his club on fire and burned the branches. One minute later, the branches were scorched to ashes, the flames were extinguished, and the opening of the dolmen revealed a bright light shining in a large crater on the other side of the river.

"Gotcha!"

Fishlegs and the wolverine left the dolmens behind them to cross the water when two hostile yaks bellowed from the forest and intended to charge the human. The wolverine proceeded to growl and yap at them and his guttural noises were enough to scare the two bovines away. Fishlegs chuckled since he didn't have to do anything and petted his friend who simply let out soothing chirps.

"That sure teaches them to not mess with us."

Before long, Fishlegs and the wolverine crossed the river and used the shadows of the red cedars to conceal themselves from the sight before them. Six Udam were guarding the ledges and the rim of the crater and the Blood of Oros it possessed. Two clubmen, two spearmen, and two archers. Fishlegs and the wolverine silently dispatched the archers on the rim. They then moved onto the spearmen on the middle ledge before killing the clubmen in the center of the crater.

"Well that wasn't too difficult," commented Fishlegs as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He and the wolverine then turned to the Blood of Oros that were spread all around the crater and whistled at their glimmering textures and their great quantities.

"Piss Man!"

At first, Fishlegs thought he heard Wogah's voice in his mind. He was proven wrong when he witnessed the one-armed crafter sliding down a vine on the northern side of the crater and landed before him.

"I thought I told you to stay where you are."

"That cave is lonely, and you have done well in killing the Udam and securing the Blood of Oros for our tribe."

Fishlegs shook his head with a smile at the compliment. He, Wogah, and the wolverine then noticed the baskets that were already filled with the crystals. The two men grinned and began to retrieve the baskets for their journey back to the Wenja village.


	12. A Brother in Need

Three Udam were strolling near a great bonfire that stood close to the edge of a waterfall when they felt the earth trembling and birds flying away from the forest with a screech. When the quaking grew, they grabbed their spears and stood their ground at the forefront. From the shadows and the trees, Snotlout emerged with a bow and a flaming arrow, along with a huge mammoth charging and bellowing behind him. The Udam shouted with fear and confusion as Snotlout skid past them and allowed the mammoth to attack the three humans. With his adversaries occupied with each other, Snotlout fired his flaming arrow to the bonfire and jumped over the waterfall.

Upon splashing on the pool below, Snotlout sighed with relief that the base was deeper than expected and swam to the shore. He wiped and smacked the water from his body as the battle above him fell silent. It was at that moment that the wolves sprinted from the east and licked all over Snotlout with whimpers. He gladly returned the favor by petting his two canine companions.

"I knew that we would reunite," he told them. "Good thing I told you both to find another path. You wouldn't want to see what I did back there."

The trio then saw smoke rising from the top of the cliff, which meant that the bonfire was lit and Snotlout grinned with pride.

"The Wenja should be able to live there. I think the mammoth stomped those Udam into pulps."

A distant trumpeting noise confirmed his hope as he and the wolves turned north to resume their travels.

* * *

As the sun grew higher and higher above Oros, the ground did so as well for Snotlout. The sloping terrain meant that he was approaching a more mountainous territory and he could see the snowcapped peaks far ahead. Some of the trees he passed lacked their verdant leaves, which acted as factors for the colder climate the north was exhibiting. He then saw a small herd of caribous grazing alongside a flock of monals in a field, and one of them could provide some resources that would be useful soon. Snotlout grabbed a spear from his belt and aimed it at one caribou that was feeding, away from the rest of its herd. He steadied his arm and flung it straight through the caribou's skull. Its sudden death caused the other caribous and monals to flee from the area.

"Now this should keep our bellies full for a while."

Snotlout and the wolves approached their quarry to loot every possible form of resources the carcass could provide. When the trio felt they have acquired what they needed, a writhing sound rang from the west and almost startled them. The wolves sniffed the air though they did not growl. Snotlout retrieved his spear from the caribou's head and went to investigate.

The voice could be heard coming from behind a giant red cedar. Snotlout peeked his head over and saw a Wenja man with a gashed knee leaning onto the trunk.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," whispered Snotlout as he grabbed some special green leaves from his bag. He then chewed it, barfed it out, and smeared it over the wound. The Wenja winced initially, though he exhaled with relief when the remedy took effect.

"Thank you, brother," said the Wenja.

"What happened?"

"Udam attacked. Beware their numbers. A Wenja warrior is fighting them. He will need help."

Snotlout was about to ponder about the other Wenja until a yell could be heard coming from behind a hill north of them. Snotlout tightened the grip on his spear to prepare for the coming fight.

"Stay here. I'll come back to you."

The Wenja man nodded and watched as Snotlout joined the wolves in a race to a battle with the Udam.

Snotlout stopped on the edge of a rocky outcrop and witnessed a Wenja using his spear to hold off five Udam clubmen between a pond and a campfire with five others laying lifeless before his feet. When one of the Udam decided to keep his distance from the battle, he unknowingly made his stand below the outcrop. Snotlout used this moment to silently jump and executed a silent takedown on the Udam's skull. Blood spurted throughout Snotlout's torso as he let out a fearsome cry that drew the attention of the Udam and the Wenja warrior. The wolves ran down the hill and followed Snotlout into the fight. Three of the Udam went in to attack, only for the wolves to maul two of them and Snotlout to tackle the remaining one to the ground. The Wenja warrior seized the opportunity to thrust his spear straight to the last Udam's throat.

"Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi! Oi! Oi!"

Five times Snotlout plunged his spear into the Udam's stomach, and they flawlessly synced with each of Snotlout's shout. With all of the Udam slain, the Wenja warrior let out a cry of victory and planted his spear on the ground. Thanks to the sunlight, Snotlout gain a better view of his new ally. His clothing was made of bear fur, and he had a seashell bracelet on his left arm. White body paint covered his right shoulder and a leather strap was wrapped around his head. The most notable feature was that he seemed to be missing his right eye.

"A good fight!" he said as he mocked one of the dead Udam. "Bad for you."

The Wenja then turned his eye to Snotlout and approached him with a smile.

"You fight with strength!"

Snotlout was slightly dazed when the Wenja performed a headbutt on him. He almost stumbled back but the Wenja grabbed his left arm to keep him standing. His smile grew when he noticed the whiteshell bracelet that Snotlout wore.

"You are Wenja."

"Yup," Snotlout said as he almost regained his bearings. "My name is Snotlout."

"I am Karoosh."

After becoming acquainted with each other's names, Karoosh walked towards a dead Udam and lifted the body upon his shoulders. The wolves merely tilted their heads with curiosity.

"We are brothers," proclaimed Karoosh as he carried the body towards the campfire. His gregarious attitude made Snotlout chuckle with humor.

"So what are you doing out here, Karoosh?" he asked.

"I am hunting a vicious Udam warrior," Karoosh answered as he dropped the body to the fire. "Mog."

Snotlout could see a growing anger in the Wenja's eye when he mentioned the Udam's name.

"Mog took my eye," said Karoosh whilst pointing his missing eye. "And Keda, my son…"

Snotlout deflated when the sorrow in Karoosh's voice flowed to his ears. Soon after, Karoosh's eye and chest fumed with anger and hatred.

"Mog killed my son!"

Karoosh ejected his fury by slamming his fists on the nearest Udam body. As Karoosh exhaled with his eye shut, Snotlout could hear the wolves whimpering and his breaths growing quiet. Empathy dominated the area since all of four them recently lost certain individuals with a respective, personal bond. Snotlout then clenched his fist tightly, knelt next to Karoosh and placed his left hand over the grieving Wenja.

"Mog will die for his crimes."

Karoosh perked up upon hearing Snotlout's statement and smiled with glee.

"Yes," he said with a nod of agreement. "Brother, bring the dead and burn them." Karoosh then dragged the Udam body and rolled it to the blazing campfire. Snotlout stood up and was unsure of Karoosh's intentions.

"The smoke tells Mog," explained Karoosh before he patted Snotlout's left shoulder. "That we are coming for him."

Snotlout mouthed his understanding before smiling, laughing, and shook hands with Karoosh. The two worked together in carrying and throwing some of the dead Udam to the campfire, which made the flame grow and thick palls of dark smoke to rise to the clear sky. When they were finished, they heard distant shouts of Udam coming to attack. The wolves growl and ran off to meet their adversaries while Snotlout and Karoosh nodded with grins as they prepared their spears and ran into battle with howling cries.

Snotlout stabbed an Udam clubman and use the body as a shield from the arrows of an Udam archer that was standing on the edge of the rocky outcrop. The grey wolf lunged at the archer as the brown wolf leaped onto the face of an Udam spearman. Karoosh parried and disarmed the club of an Udam before using the tip to slash his throat off. An Udam was about to aim his spear at Karoosh when Snotlout drove his spear through the back of the Udam's head until the point came out from the Udam's mouth. Snotlout threw the Udam aside when the tree next to him had its bark gouged by a flying rock. He looked up and saw an Udam placing a rock on a sling as he began to swing it around. The rock would have been launched onto Snotlout's face if Karoosh had not hurled his spear onto the Udam's chest. Snotlout laughed with joy as he, Karoosh, and the wolves continued to kill more Udam who were in the area.

* * *

By noon, at least ten Udam fell victim to the wrath of Snotlout and Karoosh. The wolves fed on some of the bodies as Snotlout looted the others, gaining cedar wood, black rock flints, and clay that should be useful for crafting more tools. Karoosh howled to the sun with energy as Snotlout finished in stuffing his bag with loot.

"Karoosh! Karoosh! Oi! Oi! Oi!"

Karoosh joyfully laughed at Snotlout's cheer and he planted his spear on the ground so he could shake Snotlout's hand once more.

"Snotlout, you and your wolves brought me strength I never thought would have."

Snotlout felt pride whilst listening to Karoosh's praise, though he was reminded of the situation he experienced before their meeting.

"A wounded Wenja is hiding behind a tree over that hill," divulged Snotlout as he pointed his hand to the aforementioned direction. "Our brothers and sisters have also built a new village in the west."

"Good," nodded Karoosh before he retrieved his spear and returned to Snotlout's side. "We will teach the Wenja how to be strong. Thank you, brother."

Karoosh then draped his left arm around Snotlout's back as the two and the wolves initiated their journey.

"You know, Karoosh, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship."


	13. Fly Like a Bird

"Wait up! We don't have four legs that allow us to run at superhuman speed!" shouted Ruffnut as the dhole sprinted far ahead of her and Tuffnut.

"Technically, sis, humans have four legs if you count our arms! But we've become so accustomed to two legs, we don't need to gallop like most animals!"

The Twins' boosted their running speed when the mammoth behind them roared with fury and smashed most trees that got in his way.

"Our pachyderm pursuer here is big, plump, and doesn't gallop, yet he still hasn't lost a pace!" Ruffnut countered with a frustrated voice.

"Sometimes size doesn't matter in the animal kingdom!"

Two male mooses that were locking antlers in front of a female released their grip when the wrath of a raging mammoth thundered into their ears and all three dashed away to avoid an unpleasant death. The dhole continued to lead the Twins on their race through the lands of Oros, forcing any animal on their path to flee or fly for their lives, except for a female badger that remained in her spot even after the mammoth came into her view.

"Little badger! Run if you don't want to get squished!" Tuffnut exclaimed whilst waving his arms at the smaller creature. The badger was adamant in standing her ground even after the Twins ran by her. As the mammoth continued to charge, the badger let out a series of rasping growls and guttural grunts that made the gigantic beast stop in his tracks. When he focused his sight on the small black, white, and grey mammal, the mammoth reared on his hind legs with a high-pitched trumpet before turning around and ran back to where he came from. The badger snorted with confidence, which earned her the Twins' jaw-dropping incredulity and the dhole's whimpering head-tilt.

An idea then crept into Ruffnut's mind as she intuitively grabbed a piece of meat from her bag before kneeling. Its scent glided into the badger's nose and turned to the Twins behind her.

"Badgers can be quite headstrong and picky, sis."

Ruffnut shushed her brother as the badger sauntered closer and saw the meat on the female human's right hand. No signs of fear came from Ruffnut's tranquil pose. She simply allowed the badger to come forth to sniff and investigate. A tickling yet warm sensation manifested when the badger's nose twitched against her fingers. Breath of relief gusted from Ruffnut when the badger held her hand with her paws so she could feed on it comfortably. After she was finished, the badger immediately nuzzled her head with Ruffnut's palms to show that both of them have initiated a bond.

"Aren't you a ferocious cuddle-monster?" cooed Ruffnut. "That mammoth sure knows to not mess with you? Am I right?"

"I thought badgers are tough and fearsome beasts," Tuffnut argued. "You don't look too vicious to me."

When the badger noticed Tuffnut's approaching hand, her instant reaction was clamping her jaws on it. Tuffnut yelled in pain as he jumped up and down, struggling to strip the dangling badger from his wrist.

"Ow! Ow! That hurts! That seriously hurts!"

Finally, the badger loosened her grip as Tuffnut grasped her in the nape. He exasperated when she vocalized something akin to a human cackle before casting her to the ground. Tuffnut held onto the bite-mark while Ruffnut giggled and the badger began a friendly wrestling match with the dhole.

* * *

The terrain became softer and somewhat slicker as the Twins and their animal companions treaded east. Sometimes they had to cover their eyes from the sun that was still ascending on the horizon. Flies and mosquitos also became more frequent since they were entering a more humid region of Oros. Red cedars and alder trees were replaced with maples and temperate hills gave way to flat swamps. Tuffnut noticed a sack of supplies hanging on top of a tree and the dhole went to retrieve it after it was shot down. The sack gave the Twins special purple leaves, leopard skin, dhole skin, bones, and the arrow that Tuffnut launched.

As noon approached, the quartet could see a massive waterfall rumbling in the distance, but they also heard muffled words coming to their ears.

"Is it just me or is someone else talking inside my head?" asked Tuffnut.

"Are you sure it's not our conscience, bro?" Ruffnut questioned back. "It sometimes likes to tell us riddles to mess with our minds."

"No way. My conscience always tells me everything loud and clear."

"What's it saying now?"

"I currently can't hear it because of this new voice."

The Twins decided to focus their hearing by ignoring the noises nature was giving and isolated the strange voice somewhere beneath the ground. Curious, they looked east and saw a clearing ahead of them. Upon reaching their destination, they turned back and saw a leopard skin draped as a clothed door to a cave. Tuffnut and Ruffnut looked at each other before they slowly entered the cave. The dhole and the badger remained outside to act as sentries.

In the cave, they found a hefty, bearded, and barely-clothed Wenja with a headband made of leopard skin facing a stone wall adjacent to a campfire with a starling in his right hand. He proceeded to spin the twittering starling around and threw it straight to the wall, killing the helpless bird as it slumped to the floor. The Twins cringed at the sight with the Wenja grumbling in disappointment. He then reached into a basket and grabbed another starling to repeat the same action.

"Hello?" Tuffnut's question halted the Wenja with surprise and made him turn to the starling in his hand.

"Bird speaks?" he asked before crouching. "Tell Urki how to fly."

The starling merely chirped as Tuffnut and Ruffnut exchanged shrugs.

"Please tell Urki how to fly."

With a slow yet awkward pace, Tuffnut slowly advanced to Urki and reached his hand out.

"Hello?"

Tuffnut placed his hand on Urki's shoulder, which prompted Urki to jump with shock and released the starling to fly away from the cave. Urki waddled after the bird without leaving the cave.

"Fly away, little bird," he said. "Fly away."

Urki then turned to the Twins who were equally jumbled at the sight.

"What was that all about?" asked Ruffnut.

"Urki wants to fly like a bird real bad," was Urki's response. Tuffnut then noticed a feather wedged on the Wenja's beard and decided to pull it away.

"Yeah, you'll probably need feathers to do that," Tuffnut explained as he presented the feather to Urki. Within seconds, Urki's eyes twinkled with wonder and grabbed the feather to fiddle it in his hands.

"Of course," he whispered. "I have no darn feathers!"

"Nope, you don't have any at all," added Ruffnut. Urki then laughed and started to pat both siblings with excitement.

"You two are very smart! Smart Wenja!"

"Look at that, bro. One of the few people who appreciate our insight."

Tuffnut chuckled alongside his sister as Urki circled the cave, flapping his arms as if they were bird wings. When he finished, he set his sight on the Twins.

"Both of you! Find more feathers for Urki so that Urki can fly! So that Urki can fly!"

Ruffnut and Tuffnut blinked in confusion as Urki ushered them to the exit with glee and excitement. When they were just about to leave, they saw Urki pretending to fly with delighted howls and cheers. Ruffnut circled a finger near her head, only for Tuffnut to hush her and leave the cave with him.

* * *

Two ravens circled above a dead deer near the pool of the great waterfall with caws of hunger and enthusiasm. Before they landed, two arrows pierced straight through one of them and the surviving raven flew off to safety.

"That was my kill, Ruff."

"Dream on, Tuff. I ended its suffering."

Tuffnut rolled her eyes as the dhole went in to retrieve the dead raven to his friends. The twins plucked the feathers when they heard quacking sounds up above. With the shade of the trees, they noticed a flock of mallards soaring around in an attempt to find the appropriate landing.

"That one's mine too," Ruffnut declared as she nocked an arrow and fired it to the sky. One mallard was hit and plummeted into the pool with a trail of feathers and blood. She then sprinted towards the floating body, hopping over a recoiling tortoise and leaped with a splash. The lifeless duck was nearing towards Ruffnut when she heard an arrow whizzing near her. She turned back and saw something with fins and scales sinking into the murky water. With her right hand clutching on the duck, Ruffnut dove down and saw a bleeding yet dead bitefish with an arrow on its head. She grabbed it with her left hand before surfacing to breathe and swam to the shore with Tuffnut standing in front of her with his bow.

"You should be thankful that I killed that bitefish that was about to, well, bite you," proclaimed Tuffnut as Ruffnut smacked water out from her left ear. When she was finished, she gave him a brief hug

"It's almost always nice to have you as a brother," was her confession before skinning the bitefish and plucking the duck's feathers alongside Tuffnut.

The Twins and their animals strolled towards the direction of the waterfall when a leopard pounced from the taller grass and growled at the pair. The dhole and the badger responded with growls of their own and sent the leopard fleeing to the deep forest.

"Keep running if you know what's good for you!" exclaimed Ruffnut.

"Smart Wenja! Up here!"

Both Tuffnut and Ruffnut heard Urki's unmistakable voice as they turned around to see him waving near the edge of a wooden platform located high on the ledge of a cliff adjacent to the waterfall. The Twins' eyes widened with anxiety and understanding before they looked down and noticed a heap of compiled dried grass that would act as a cushion for the worst-case scenario.

"Maybe we should get Hiccup or Fishlegs for this," Tuffnut suggested.

"We've come this far so it's too late for either of them," argued Ruffnut. "But then again, this should be entertaining. We'll see if Urki passes with flying colors."

Tuffnut could not help but smirk at his sister's mischievous suggestion and decided to follow along with the plan.

* * *

A flock of doves watched with inquisitive coos as Urki stretched his legs and arms for his upcoming flight near the wooden platform. He had placed an empty shell of a tortoise over his head that would act as protection. When his feet were warmed up, he turned to his right and beamed with joy when Tuffnut and Ruffnut arrived with him dozens of plucked feathers in their hands.

"Thank you! Thank you, Smart Wenja! Thank you!" Urki proclaimed as he grabbed the feathers. "These will make Urki fly! Now go, go down there and watch Urki fly! The first Wenja to fly!"

Tuffnut and Ruffnut shrugged at one another before heading down to spectate the inevitable.

* * *

The Twins, the dhole, and the badger sat not far from the grass heap, waiting for Urki to see how Urki's 'flight' would go. Within a minute, Urki leaped from the wooden platform holding the feathers and began to scream with panic as he plummeted straight to the grass heap with a soft thud. Tuffnut and Ruffnut clapped with positive sarcasm whilst the dhole and the badger tilted their head sideways with puzzlement. They then walked towards the grass heap to lift the moaning Urki on their shoulders.

"But feathers… should have… made Urki… fly…" moaned Urki with a dazed voice.

"At least your head is fine," was Ruffnut's reply before she conked the tortoise shell with her fist. "We gave praise for your, unusual methods."

"We're birds of a feather, Urki," Tuffnut said. "But for now, let's get you back to the Wenja village. We don't want to keep Chief Hiccup waiting."

With the mid-day sun shining the way, the five companions head west whilst listening to Urki's constant flabbergasting throughout their trek.


End file.
